(From nzherald.co.nz October 28, 2010 NOTE: Professor John Tagg recommends chewing three pieces of CulturedCare Probiotic Gum six hours before boarding airplane for maximum protection against colds and flu.)

There’s nothing more irritating than arriving at your travel destination with a cold or, worse, the flu. Which is probably why I write about it a lot. Which is certainly why I was sent a couple of packets of Culturedcare probiotic gum to try out.

As I understand it, the gum stocks the mouth and throat with friendly bacteria which attack the unfriendly bugs that cause colds and, as a bonus, bad breath. Whatever, if it reduces the risk of catching a holiday-destroying bug, I’m for it.

Needless to say it’s hard to test such products but my wife and I did try the gum out on a trip to Niue. The peppermint version – the other packet I was sent was mango-flavoured – tasted fine and I can testify that Chris’s breath was fine (I didn’t ask about mine).

More importantly, neither of us caught colds on the way to Niue. Nor, despite the flight being a couple of hours late, did we get one on the way home. That was a big advance on the previous trip when I got colds in both directions.

Of course that doesn’t prove that probiotic gum stops colds. But it certainly does leave open the possibility. And if nothing else it’s a good way to clean your teeth in flight. For further information see CulturedCare.com

(Read the original article at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10683102)