Floss to reduce your risk of stroke

Flossing your teeth lowers your risk of stroke.

Even flossing just once a week reduces the chances of ischemic stroke—when a blood clot reaches the brain—by 22 percent, and of cardioembolic stroke—blood clots that travel from the heart—by as much as 44 percent.

Good dental hygiene, which includes flossing and regular brushing, also reduces the threat of irregular heartbeat, or arterial fibrillation (AFib), which can lead to stroke, heart failure and other heart problems, say researchers from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

They have been tracking the dental habits of 6,258 people since 1987; of those who flossed, 4,092 hadn’t suffered a stroke and 4,050 hadn’t been diagnosed with irregular heartbeat.

Healthy gums and teeth reduce inflammation and keep the heart healthy, the researchers said.

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