A new study shows mouth rinse can do more than improve your oral health by killing germs and freshening breath. For athletes looking to improve their time, mouth rinse may give them a burst of energy that results in a measureable difference.

Researchers found that endurance athletes who swished (but did not ingest) mouth rinse with sucrose several times during a time trial ran significantly faster than before. Their times also improved more than those who swished only water.

“The sucrose solution, which was sweet-tasting but also provided a small amount of energy, is thought to boost endurance performance by stimulating ‘reward areas’ in the brain related to motor control,”¹ researchers said.

The improvement in athletes’ times was drastic – five percent on average! It’s important to note that these results were only found when true sucrose was present in the mouth rinse, not artificial sweeteners.

The study followed 16 endurance athletes between ages 18 and 45 who tested their running times on an indoor 7.9-mile track while swishing mouth rinse or water and spitting eight times during the run.

Looking for the right mouth rinse to improve your time? We can help! Call us for a consultation, and we’ll tell you everything you need to know about keeping your teeth healthy (and maybe it will help your athletic endeavors, too!).

¹http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/mouth-rinse-may-improve-athletic-performance/