Prevention of Flu - When do you brush your teeth?

​As a result of researching 5800 people who was infected by flu and their family for 16 years, new facts have come to light.
 
1. Who easily transmits flu to other family members is father.
When father is infected to flu first in the family, there is high possibility to transmit it to other family members. The possibility of father’s transmitting flu is 2 times more than mother’s. Father’s consciousness to prevent infection tends to be less than mother’s.
 
2. The time period when infection spreads out most at home is during a meal.
During a meal, we don’t wear masks and have a conversation, easily spreading viruses.
 
How to prevent flu brushing teeth
 
When is good to brush teeth to prevent cold and flu?
 
To strengthen immune system, brushing teeth right after getting up in the morning is the best timing. 500 people who had flu were researched about their life style by a doctor and it turned out that a lot of them didn’t brush their teeth right after getting up in the morning. since the doctor instructed their patients to brush their teeth right after getting up in the morning, the number of flu patients dramatically decreased.
 
Why can brushing teeth right after getting up in the morning prevent flu infection?
 
Viruses of flu and common cold are usually covered by protein, so even if they go into the body, they can’t easily invade the body cells. But there is an enzyme which breaks the cover of protein, called protease. Protease is an enzyme which breaks down proteins coming into the intestines. Protease exists in the mouth and when viruses contact protease, the covered protein is broken down and the viruses are exposed. That makes the viruses easy to invade the membrane of the cell and highly contagious. Brushing teeth right after getting up in the morning washes out protease in the mouth not to contact viruses, preventing the infection of viruses.
 
When we are awake, saliva plays a role to wash out bacteria in our mouth. But while we are sleeping, saliva in our mouth decreases and bacteria increases. The number of bacteria at the time that we get up in the morning becomes about 30 times as many as the number of bacteria after dinner. The more bacteria in the mouth increase, the more protease which exposes viruses increases. If you eat breakfast without brushing your teeth, this protease attaches to the membrane of the mouth and the throat. If viruses invade the body and come to the area, protease exposes the viruses, strengthening the power of their infection. So it is effective for prevention of virus infection to remove protease by brushing teeth right after getting up in the morning.
 
In addition to brushing teeth, if you clean your tongue using a tongue cleaner, it is more effective. However, it is not recommended to use a toothbrush to clean your tongue because it can be a cause that you lose taste.

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