A Romantic Kiss Is a Bacteria Nightmare, Say Researchers
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Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Despite what the song “As Time Goes By” claims, a kiss is a lot more than just a kiss.
Researchers in the Netherlands analyzed the oral bacterial profile of 26 couples before and after an intimate kiss and found that 80 million bacteria are transferred during the average 10-second smooch.
The researchers also found that the saliva of couples have more similar bacteria than non-couples, and couples who kiss more frequently share the most oral bacteria.
A side note: 75 percent of the men involved in the study reported higher kiss frequencies than their female partners, suggesting that guys over-report their sexual behaviors.
The study was published in the journal Microbiome.
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