Gargling With Tap Water Can Prevent Respiratory Tract Infection

By Anonymous

Gargling with tap water reduces the risk of upper respiratory tract infection in healthy people and this virtually cost-free approach could appreciably benefit the general population.

Gargling is common in Japan and people believe this routine, especially with gargle medicine, prevents upper respiratory tract infection. Its effectiveness has not been established in clinical trials, however.

Researchers in Japan carried out a randomised controlled trial in the winter of 2002/03. They assigned 387 healthy volunteers aged 18- 65 to gargling with water or diluted povidoneiodine. The two gargling groups were asked to gargle at least three times a day. First upper respiratory tract infection and severity of symptoms were assessed with a self-administered questionnaire.

Participants were followed for 60 days. A total of 130 people contracted respiratory tract infections. The incidence rate of first infection was 0.26 episodes per 30 person-days among control subjects, falling to 0.17 in the water gargling group and 0.24 in the povidone-iodine gargling group.

Respective incidence rate ratios against controls were 0.64 and 0.89 for water and povidone-iodine. A Cox regression (proportional hazard model) analysis showed the efficacy of gargling water was 0.60. Even when an upper respiratory tract infection occurred, water gargling tended to attenuate bronchial symptoms (p=0.055).

Satomura K et al (2005) Prevention of upper respiratory tract infections by gargling. A randomized trial. American journal of Preventive Medicine. 29, 4, 302-307.

Copyright RCN Publishing Company Ltd. Jan 18-Jan 24, 2006