[ddod]

Related to Listerine: I have a memory of reading a study that had people use mouthwash (possibly Listerine) the night before taking a cognitive test. The mouthwash group did worse than the control group for some reason.

I'd really love to find the study again if anyone else knows where it is (my googling is apparently not good enough)

[TheDong]

> The mouthwash group did worse than the control group for some reason.

I give it higher odds that the study's results were based on bad statistics, or an insufficient sample size, than that there's an actual notable difference here.

The reproducibility crisis has made this, I think, a reasonable default assumption for old studies of this sort.

[Covzire]

I wonder if it's the Sucralose, a chemical completely unrelated to sucrose(table sugar) and was originally developed as a pesticide. I used Listerine for many years before I developed a severe allergy to Sucralose. It started with the skin inside my mouth peeling slightly, it wasn't painful at all just kind of weird. Eventually I began getting hives and rashes on my hands and arms and slowly it kept getting worse and worse. If I use mouthwash or use toothpaste with Sucralose today I'll have very bad hives all-over hives that'll persist for a couple days. Ingesting any via food/snacks means a week of hives and needs a round of predisone to feel somewhat normal until it's all gone from my system.

[technothrasher]

> Sucralose, a chemical completely unrelated to sucrose

Seeing as how it is made directly from the sucrose, I'm not sure how you can say it is "completely unrelated". It is identical to sucrose except for the substitution of three chlorine atoms for hydroxyl groups.

Have you seen an allergist about your reaction? They should be able to do a skin test to confirm the allergy, and I'm sure they would be quite interested, as there seem to be no reports in the medical literature of sucralose allergies.

[mometsi]

One morning, as Gregor Samsa experienced the pesticidal effects of a sweetener used in his mouthwash, he discovered that he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.

[Covzire]

I had to look up that reference to Gregor Samsa, lol. Btw, I ordered the complete Far side in hardcover immaculate condition that came in 2 giant books for around $50 a few years ago from someone on ebay. For any Gary Larson fans it's a great library addition though it's more like $75-100 these days, and I imagine they'll only get more expensive.

[Scoundreller]

Dunno, but most contain alcohol which could have a negative effect, even after the ethanol itself is cleared.

Many are re-formulating to alcohol-free formulas, and I think it’s because they fear tobacco-style lawsuits from anyone that gets oral/throat cancers.

[giarc]

Many stores also won't carry it due to shoplifting concerns. I've seen many drug stores with signs posted on the door that they carry only alcohol free Listerine.

[frankfrankfrank]

Well that is quite interesting. I have never seen a store or sign like that. I thought the ethanol has been denatured with various agents to make it unpleasant to consume for that very reason. I guess the consumer has degenerated so much that he is willing to suffer the consequences of its consumption?

It strikes me that this cannot really be a good sign for society in general when the degeneration is breaking through even the measures to inhibit degenerative detrimental behaviors. It also appears we are accumulating such conditions at an alarming rate all across the western world in particular, emanating and spreading out from a few specific points.

[giarc]

I work in a hospital in a large city (>1 million). I review admitting diagnoses on a regular basis, it's very common to see 'listerine ingestion' or 'hand sanitizer ingestion'. We have policies about where we place hand sanitizer in the hospital and evaluating patients that are at risk of ingestion. Unfortunately we have had many adverse events related to patients drinking it while admitted to hospital. An unfortunate part of our society is that some people are in the position where they drink these products.

[david_l_lin]

Might be related, but mouthwash use is correlated with a drop in systemic nitric oxide levels due to the negative impact on the oral microbiome. You can find a review here:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35081826/

At Bristle (oral microbiome testing) we advocate against broad antimicrobial mouthrinses as they can negatively impact your oral health similar to how antibiotics cause dysbiosis in the gut.

[kurupt213]

It’s been a while since I’ve used listerine, but anecdotally, the only option that left a seemingly cleaner mouth was the ‘original’ formula/flavor. I doubt it’s actually original. It also has the worst flavor.

[rvba]

Maybe someone who brushes teeth regularly also studies regularly, while someone who uses mouthwash cuts corners?

Or the alcohol / other chemicals.

[snikeris]

Maybe alcohol absorbed sublingually?