Science Discovers a Cure for Garlic Breath, and It's Likely Already in Your Fridge

We're living in the age of artificial intelligence, heading back to the moon, and on the brink of bringing back the wooly mammoth from extinction. So yes, it's safe to say that science is doing the most right now. While perhaps not on the same scale as de-extinction, a few researchers from Ohio State University are offering up one more intriguing revelation this week, publishing a research paper that declares a potential garlic breath remedy. And the antidote is something you may have stocked in your fridge. 

On September 19, the team from Ohio State shared preliminary findings of another garlicky study, recently published in the science journal Molecules, noting its lab found that "whole milk plain yogurt prevented almost all of the volatile compounds responsible for garlic's pungent scent from escaping into the air." 

To come to this conclusion, the researchers tested garlic against the "individual components" in yogurt — water, fat, and protein — to see which one fought off the bad breath compounds best. To do so, the team placed raw garlic in glass jars so that the smell could be detected by the human nose. While the separate components each had some effect, together the yogurt reduced 99% of "major odor-producing raw garlic volatiles," the team reported. 

"High protein is a very hot thing right now — generally, people want to eat more protein," Sheryl Barringer, a professor of food science and technology at The Ohio State University and senior researcher on the paper, shared on the OSU website. "An unintended side benefit may be a high-protein formulation that could be advertised as a breath deodorizer in addition to its nutritional claims."

The team's initial findings will likely be used as the basis of further study to analyze different proteins and how they can be formulated to combat bad breath. For now, however, Barringer stated that Greek-style yogurt is likely your best bet, thanks to its higher protein content. Just make sure to swallow a spoonful quickly after eating garlic. 

This also isn't the first time Barringer has gone on the hunt for a cure for garlic breath. Her previous work, the OSU website explained, has identified apples, mint, and lettuce as potential garlic combatants. One more tip from Barringer? Try frying your garlic first, as that can also reduce odor-causing compounds. So perhaps a salad topped with apples and a yogurt-mint dressing with fried garlic is in your future? Sounds pretty tasty (and very un-stinky) to us.