A TV doctor has shared the one quick and easy lifestyle change you can make to slash your stroke risk by up to 20%.
Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine, Dr Amir Khan shared how something as simple as keeping the areas between your teeth, and along your gum line, nice and clean could reduce your risk of having a stroke.
On Friday, he told viewers about a new study which suggested a link between regular flossing and reduced stroke risk.
“I love this, because the evidence for this is strong,” he told the show.
“It’s come from the American Stroke Association and they say flossing your teeth even just once a week can reduce your risk of having a clot type of stroke by 22%.
“That’s more than a fifth. Now, we’ve kind of known about this for a while, but it’s good to have more evidence.”
Why might flossing improve your health?
Dr Khan, who is also an NHS GP, said people who have gum disease, inflamed gums or bacteria in their gums tend to experience inflammation in that area.
While a little bit of inflammation is “okay”, the doctor explained that “long-term inflammation” can increase your stress hormones – such as cortisol and adrenaline – and “all of that can put your blood pressure up and increase your risk of a stroke”.
The GP added that the bacteria in your gums can also make its way into your bloodstream “where they can contribute to more inflammation” and also a condition called atherosclerosis, where your arteries become narrowed, making it difficult for blood to flow through them.
This can then, in turn, raise your risk of heart attack and stroke.
He said people who have gum disease are also more likely to eat sugary foods and ultra-processed foods, “which contribute to heart attacks and strokes”.
What do other experts think?
The study’s lead author acknowledged that people should adopt a multi-pronged approach to reducing their stroke risk – and flossing is a good place to start.
Dr Souvik Sen, a professor and chair of the neurology department at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, said: “I wouldn’t say dental flossing is the only thing you need to do to prevent a stroke, but our findings suggest it is one more thing to be added to a healthy lifestyle.”
Dr Karen Furie, neurologist-in-chief at Brown University Health in Providence, Rhode Island, wasn’t surprised that flossing might help reduce stroke risk.
“Flossing does help get debris out from between teeth that brushing alone might miss,” she said.
“Things that cause inflammation to the gums might be retained food or seeds, things that if not removed might inflame the gums and contribute to a systemic inflammatory state that might affect the health of the blood vessels.”
What else can you do to prevent stroke?
Dr Khan recommends brushing teeth twice a day, for two minutes each time, and then flossing once a day.
He also advised people to stop smoking, manage alcohol levels and eat high fibre foods (“particularly hard vegetables like carrots” as “they are like a natural toothbrush” when you eat them).
According to Harvard Health, reducing salt in your diet, exercising regularly and losing weight can also reduce your risk.
