The Health Benefits of Kissing
Dr. Gail Shust of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai discusses germs spread through kissing.
We've known it since grade school: Kissing transfers germs that can pass along colds or the flu. But according to Dutch researchers, the 80 million or so bacteria exchanged during just ten seconds of a kiss has real, measurable upsides, including measurable stress release, stronger immune systems, and even a build-up of good bacteria. But of course kissing can still be a germ problem when you're careless, leading to infections like mono or hepatitis. But experts say you shouldn't be overly concerned about the germs. "When you first hear 80 million, it sounds surprising," says Dr. Gail Shust, an infectious disease expert at The Mount Sinai Hospital. "But we've been kissing since the beginning of time, and it doesn't seem to have held us back." Learn more.
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