#kisses #kissing #French #tongue
A study in the journal Microbiome found that a 10-sec French Kiss can spread 80 million bacteria between mouths. 80 million may sound scary but these bacteria may actually benefit our body.
Scientific Research in the Netherlands got 21 couples visiting a zoo in the Netherlands to participate in a study on French Kissing. Their tongues were swabbed and saliva collected before and after a timed 10-sec French Kiss.
What was interesting is that they found the bacteria on the tongues of couples were more similar than of 2 strangers.
“Apparently, being with somebody for an extended amount of time and having a relationship leads to a similar collection of bacteria on the tongue.” Said the lead researcher, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research.
To find see how similar the shared bacteria were, the researchers did 1 more test.
One person in the couple drank a probiotic yogurt drink containing bacteria called Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria and wait a bit and couple shared a 10-sec, French Kiss. Then they took a sample of the bacteria in the mouth of the partner who had not drunk the yogurt. What the researchers found was that the volume of bacteria transferred to the other partner was on average 80-M bacteria.
The research team also found out through questionnaires that the more often a couple kisses, the more bacteria they share.
Dry, prudent kiss only transfers 1,000 bacteria and a French Kiss will give millions of bacteria
Even though bacteria in the saliva changed quickly after a kiss, the bacteria populations on the tongue remained more stable.
French Kissing is a great example of exposure to a gigantic number of bacteria in a short time. While 80-M bacteria being transferred in just 1 kiss sounds scary, it is in fact probably a good thing, acting as a form of immunization and building resistance from exposure to different microorganisms.
There is a “Kiss-o-meter” set up in Amsterdam based on this research that will rate your kisses: Micropia. They will give you a read out of the microorganisms you have exchanged.
Looking at it from this point of view, kissing is very healthy!
Have a prosperous day, Keep the Faith!
