What causes bad breath? - Mel Rosenberg

Kaj povzroča slab zadah? - Mel Rosenberg

Translator: Klavdija Cernilogar Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

There is a curse that has plagued humanity since ancient times.

To prekletstvo že iz davnine visi nad človeštvom.

The Greeks fought it by chewing aromatic resins,

Grki so se proti njemu borili z žvečenjem aromatične smole,

while the Chinese resorted to egg shells.

Kitajci so se zatekli k jajčnim lupinam.

In the ancient Jewish Talmud,

V judovski knjigi Talmud

it's even considered legal grounds for divorce.

je to celo zadosten razlog za ločitev.

This horrible scourge is halitosis, otherwise known as bad breath.

Ta kuga se imenuje halitoza, slab zadah iz ust.

But what causes it, and why is it so universally terrifying?

Kaj ga povzroča in zakaj je tako strašen?

Well, think of some of the worst odors you can imagine,

Pomislite na najhujše možne vonje,

like garbage, feces or rotting meat.

recimo smeti, iztrebki ali gnijoče meso.

All of these smells come from the activity of microorganisms,

Vsi ti vonji so posledica delovanja mikroorganizmov,

particularly bacteria,

posebej bakterij,

and, as disgusting as it may sound,

in naj se sliši še tako ogabno,

similar bacteria live in the moisture-rich environment of your mouth.

podobne bakterije živijo v vlažnem prostoru vaših ust.

Don't panic.

Brez panike.

The presence of bacteria in your body is not only normal,

Prisotnost bakterij v vašem telesu je normalna,

it's actually vital for all sorts of things,

še več, nujna je za veliko stvari,

like digestion and disease prevention.

kot recimo prebava ali zaščita pred boleznijo.

But like all living things, bacteria need to eat.

A kot vsa živa bitja morajo tudi bakterije jesti.

The bacteria in your mouth feed off of mucus,

Bakterije v ustih se hranijo s sluzjo,

food remnants,

ostanki hrane

and dead tissue cells.

in mrtvimi celicami.

In order to absorb nutrients through their cell membranes,

Da bi skozi membrano vsrkale hranila,

they must break down the organic matter into much smaller molecules.

morajo organske snovi razgraditi v manjše molekule.

For example, they'll break proteins into their component amino acids

Beljakovine na primer razgradijo v aminokisline

and then break those down even further into various compounds.

in te še naprej razkosajo v različne dele.

Some of the foul-smelling byproducts of these reactions,

Nekaj smrdečih stranskih rezultatov teh reakcij,

such as hydrogen sulfide and cadaverine,

kot sta vodikov sulfid in kadaverin,

escape into the air

pobegne v zrak

and waft their way towards unsuspecting noses.

in najde pot do nič hudega slutečih nosov.

Our sensitivity to these odors and interpretation of them as bad smells

Naša občutljivost nanje in občutek, da smrdijo,

may be an evolutionary mechanism warning us of rotten food

je morda mehanizem evolucije, ki opozarja pred gnilo hrano

and the presence of disease.

in pred boleznijo.

Smell is one of our most intimate and primal senses,

Vonj je eden najintimnejših in najbolj prvinskih čutov

playing a huge role in our attraction to potential mates.

in igra pomembno vlogo pri iskanju možnih partnerjev.

In one poll, 59% of men and 70% of women

V neki anketi je 59% moških in 70% žensk dejalo,

said they wouldn't go on a date with someone who has bad breath,

da ne bi šli na zmenek z nekom, ki ima slab zadah,

which may be why Americans alone

zaradi česar samo Američani

spend $1 billion a year on various breath products.

potrošijo milijardo dolarjev letno za izdelke za boljši zadah.

Fortunately, most bad breath is easily treated.

Na srečo se je slabega zadaha ponavadi enostavno rešiti.

The worst smelling byproducts come from gram-negative bacteria

Največ smradu je zaradi gram negativnih bakterij,

that live in the spaces between gums and teeth

ki živijo v prostoru med dlesnimi in zobmi

and on the back of the tongue.

ter v zadnjem delu jezika.

By brushing and flossing our teeth,

S ščetkanjem in nitkanjem zob

using antibacterial mouthwash at bedtime,

in uporabo antibakterijske ustne vode pred spanjem

gently cleaning the back of the tongue with a plastic scraper

ter z nežnim čiščenjem jezika s pomočjo plastične ščetke

and even just eating a healthy breakfast,

ter celo že z zdravim zajtrkom

we can remove many of these bacteria and their food sources.

lahko odstranimo veliko bakterij in njihovih virov prehrane.

In some cases, these measures may not be enough

Včasih to ni dovolj

due to dental problems, nasal conditions, or rarer ailments,

zaradi težav z zobmi, z nosno votlino ali z redkimi boleznimi,

such as liver disease and uncontrolled diabetes.

kot so bolezni jeter in nenadzorovana sladkorna bolezen.

Behaviors like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption

Kajenje in pretirano uživanje alkohola

also have a very recognizable odor.

tudi prineseta poseben vonj.

Regardless of cause,

Ne glede na izvor

the bad smell almost always originates in the mouth

pa slab zadah skoraj vedno izvira v ustih

and not the stomach or elsewhere in the body.

in ne v želodcu ali drugje v telesu.

But one of the biggest challenges lies

Eden večjih izzivov je v tem,

in actually determining how our breath smells in the first place,

kako ugotoviti, kakšen vonj ima naš zadah,

and it's unclear why.

in ne vemo, zakaj je tako.

It may be that we're too acclimatized

Morda smo tako navajeni

to the smell inside our own mouths to judge it.

na lasten vonj, da ga ne moremo oceniti.

And methods like cupping your hands over your mouth,

Tudi pokrivanje ust z dlanmi

or licking and smelling your wrist don't work perfectly either.

ali lizanje in vohanje zapestja ne delujeta popolnoma.

One study showed that even when people do this,

Tudi če to ljudje storijo, kaže neka študija,

they tend to rate the smell subjectively

bodo vonj ocenili subjektivno

according to how bad they thought it was going to be.

glede na to, kako slab zadah pričakujejo.

But there's one simple, if socially difficult,

Obstaja pa enostaven, a družbeno težak,

way of finding out how your breath smells:

način za ugotavljanje, kakšen je vaš zadah.

just take a deep breath and ask a friend.

Globoko vdihnite in vprašajte prijatelja.