For some people who suffer from halitosis (severe bad breath), it can be really embarrassing. It's often caused by the breakdown of bacteria in a person's mouth, which produces a foul-smelling sulfur odor on the tongue. Bad breath can also originate in the lungs or sinuses.

Now researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine have identified a specific tongue bacteria that causes chronic bad breath. I don't mean to gross you out, but they say that the bacteria known as Solobacterium moorei, can also be found in human feces. Um, eww.

In the small study, scientists collected samples by scraping an area of the tongue's surface in 21 people with bad breath and 36 without. This bacteria was found in every person who had halitosis. So now that researchers have discovered this bacteria, now they can help come up with treatments to rid people's mouths of it.

Fit's Tip: If you have an issue with bad breath, using a tongue scraper may help immensely.

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Although fitness is about moving your body, there is an awful lot of jargon to follow. One seriously good side effect of exercising regularly is burning calories. But do you understand the difference between total calorie burn (TCB) and net calorie burn (NCB)?

Let's start with TCB; it refers to the number of calories you burn during exercise plus the calories your body would burn naturally just from living, even if you're just sitting on the couch all day. The readouts on cardio machines usually refer to this number.

On the other hand, NCB refers only to the number of calories burned during exercise. To calculate the NCB of a 3-mile run, you take the TCB and subtract the amount of metabolic calories your body would burn while sedentary. To do this you need to know what your daily metabolic calorie burn is. While there is little gadget that calculates the amount of calories you burn at rest – you breathe into it for about 15 minutes after fasting for 12 hours (I did this when I visited a nutritionist) – most of us don't have access to this nifty machine. You can use this basic formula: Multiply 12 calories times the number of pounds you weigh. That means a 130 pound woman burns about 1,560 calories a day just with normal activity (65 calories per hour).

So what does this have to do with losing weight? To find out read more

It may be a bit shallow, but something about getting new gear makes me want to hit the gym — something as simple as a new pair of socks puts pep in my step. This Spring, celebrate your successes with a new Spring workout outfit or something to add a little extra motivation to keep up all the good work. Even Madonna has gone from her black on black layered workout look to a more colorful look. Perhaps some new shoes or a cute new wicking top? Or maybe it's time to buy that heart rate monitor you've had your eye on. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:

Do you have your eye on a new piece of workout gear for the spring? Share it below.

Pacific Coast News Online

Companies have been enhancing common foods for a while now. They add calcium to orange juice, omega-3s to yogurt, and caffeine to energy drinks. I don't have a problem with any of these products, and think they're great for people who want more from their food. Just recently though I saw a newcomer to this word of enhanced foods — Snacktrition Nuts.

I have to admit that when I found out these nuts had fiber added to them, I was a little skeptical. Don't nuts contain fiber already? I guess for some people who don't get enough fiber, these would be great to add to their diet. So how does the fiber content in these nuts compare to regular nuts? To find out read more