New video explains why your mouth smells like garbage

An ailment also known as "halitosis"

Published April 1, 2015 2:27PM (EDT)

  (<a href='url to photographer'>ARENA Creative</a> via <a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/'>Shutterstock</a>)
(ARENA Creative via Shutterstock)

In the Talmud, the main text outlining Jewish law, it is specified that you are legally allowed to divorce someone if they have bad breath. That kind of good, practical wisdom is, I'm sure, why my ancestors chose to be Jews.

A new video from TED Ed explains exactly why people suffer from halitosis, or bad breath, my biggest turn off aside from blatant racism and bed bugs. According to the video, our mouths are rotting garbage holes because of bacteria.

"The bacteria in your mouth feed off of mucus, food remnants and dead tissue cells. In order to absorb nutrients in their cell membranes they must break down the organic matter into much smaller molecules," the narrator explains. "Some of the foul-smelling byproducts of these reactions, such as hydrogen sulfide and cadaverine escape into the air and waft their way towards unsuspecting noses."

"Our sensitivity to these odors and interpretation of them as bad smells may be an evolutionary mechanism warning us of a rotten food and the presence of disease."

Watch the video below:


By Joanna Rothkopf

MORE FROM Joanna Rothkopf


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Bacteria Bad Breath Halitosis Talmud Ted Ed Video