"plaque" news and stories

Scientists are working on research that will give us yet another reason to drink red wine, although the experiment is still in its early stages. Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City found that drinking a moderate amount of red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, to be specific, may reduce the deterioration of brain and memory functions that is typically associated with Alzheimer's disease. Cab Sauvingnon seemed to be able to prevent the buildup of "plaque" in the brain, the main characteristic of Alzheimer's.

The study has only been conducted with mice, where the results of the red wine were compared to the results of groups that received water or ethanol, so more testing is needed before a conclusion about how this will affect humans is made, but since the amounts given were within the USDA guidelines for wine consumption (1 glass per day for women, 2 for men) it probably wouldn't hurt to get a head start, just in case.

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It looks like school teachers aren’t the only ones realizing that gum can be a multi-purpose vehicle. In fairness, it has been used as a non-cigarette nicotine delivery system for several years now, but the US army is putting it to more uses.

Stay Alert is a caffeinated gum developed by Wrigley’s. The cinnamon flavored gum has 100-mg of caffeine per piece, equivalent to a 6-ounce cup of coffee. Dr. Balkin, from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research isn’t worried about the possibility of abuse, though people have been known to abuse caffeinated products such as No-Doz in the past, because “the stuff doesn’t taste that good.” There are other brands of caffeinated gum that college students have been using to say alert for some time now. They include Jolt Gum – which has half as much caffeine as Stay Alert – and Penguin Energy Gum.

The army is also in the process of developing a plaque fighting gum for use by soldiers, who are sometimes unable to have regular opportunities to brush and floss due to the duties of combat. This seems like a product that the dental industry could really get behind, once it has completed testing.