Could Hops Be The Way Forward To Battle Tooth Decay?
A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has suggested that the part of hops, which is not used to make beer, could have properties to fight gum disease and dental decay.
Researchers believe that the leaves of the hops contain antioxidants, which could help to reduce the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
Yoshihisa Tanaka and his fellow researchers at the American Chemical Society have identified antioxidants in the hop leaves, which are not used during the beer making process. Polyphenols found in the bracts, the technical name for the leaves, were found to prevent harmful bacteria associated with gum disease and cavities from sticking to the tooth surface and gum line, thus reducing the risk of infection and irritation.
Every year in the USA alone, more than 2,000 tons of hops are harvested and the bracts are thrown away, meaning that there is a huge supply readily available for use in dentistry.
The research team used chromatography to identify the different compounds present in the bracts. Their research identified three new compounds, in addition to 20 that were already known to exist in plants.
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