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Bad breath linked to being overweight

TEL AVIV , Israel, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Researchers at Tel Aviv University said they found a direct link between obesity and bad breath, saying the more overweight, the worse the breath.

Mel Rosenberg of the Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine at Tel Aviv University said the finding on alcohol and bad breath wasn't surprising because the anecdotal evidence was there but the finding that correlated obesity to bad breath was unanticipated.

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The study involved 88 adults of varying weights and heights scheduled for a regular checkup. Graduate student Tsachi Knaan, a co-author in the study, asked if he could test the odor of their breath and ask questions about their daily habits.

The researchers concluded that overweight patients were more likely to have foul-smelling breath.

"This finding should hold for the general public," Rosenberg said in a statement. "But we don't have any scientific evidence as to why this is the case. That will be the next step."

The findings are published in the Journal of Dental Research.

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