Wheatgrass juice and bad breath - Response to Choice magazine

“Wheatgrass gets rid of bad breath and body odour”

Verdict: The evidence isn’t for wheatgrass itself – and it’s mixed.
Chlorophyll has been claimed to act as a deodoriser and was particularly popular in the 1940s as an aid to reducing the odour from infected surface wounds and ulcers.

Where does this information come from?
"To this day, plants with a high chlorophyll content like parsley and
wheatgrass are often recommended as aids to reduce problems such as bad breath and body odour. In more recent years, just a few studies have been conducted looking at this property of chlorophyll, with mixed results.
Some case reports found that chlorophyllin — a derivative of chlorophyll — decreased urinary and faecal odours in incontinent patients. However, a placebo-controlled trial found it to be no more effective than the placebo at reducing faecal odour."

Where does this information come from?

If Choice is referring to the trial Effect of chlorophyllin on urinary odor in incontinent geriatric patients. 1983 Oct;17(10):732-4, Nahata MC, Slencsak CA, Kamp J., they have made an incorrect statement again. According to www.pubmed.com “The placebo-controlled trial found about a 21-percent decrease in mean urinary odor intensity, whereas the placebo increased the odor by about 9 percent.” (i.e. chlorophyllin was much more effective than the placebo at reducing faecal odour)

Bad breath and body odor is fairly unrelated to urine unless your body is covered in urine! (Then you will have a bad odour!)
Here is a summary of the above trial: Effect of chlorophyllin on urinary odor in incontinent geriatric patients. (10)

Our Comments - Wheatgrass juice and bad breath

Chlorophyll, the green pigment in Wheatgrass – (70%) does have good antibacterial properties, which helps eliminate odors. (19,20)
A book written about Cereal Grasses talks about chlorophyll as an effective deodorizing agent and what it is being used for in the current day.( 13) (More information)

Here are more trials and tests that have been done on antibacterial substances and the odour reducing capabilities of chlorophyllin.

Conclusion - Wheatgrass juice and bad breath

Apart from the fact that a healthy diet can help with halatosis,(21) there is however not a huge amount of research that has been done that we could find that wheatgrass gets rid of bad breath.

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Choice magazine compares wheatgrass to Coffee and Coke!

Overall conclusion of Choice magazine's article - “Wheatgrass…It’s the health tonic of the moment, but where’s the evidence for its benefits?”