Minimize The Risk Of Heart Disease By Performing More Of This Everyday Activity

For the first time in fifty years, deaths that are caused by heart and circulatory diseases before the age of 75 are on the rise. The British Heart Foundation revealed that in 2017, around 42,384 deaths under the age of 75 were caused by the disease. In comparison, there were 41,042 heart and circulatory disease-related deaths in 2014.

With these worrisome statistics, it is very vital to find a way to reduce the risk of this deadly disease. Fortunately, a recent study is pointing to a simple habit, which, if done at least three times daily, can help reduce the risk.

Important Hygiene

According to a new study, the simple task of brushing your teeth more than two times daily could lower your risk of heart failure by over 10%. Researchers say that this important hygiene, if done three or more times each day, lowers your risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Atrial fibrillation is a condition where the heart rate is abnormally fast with irregular beating.

The hypothesis behind this discovery is repeated toothbrushing decreases the number of bacteria thriving in the pocket located between the gums and teeth, stopping them from joining the bloodstream. Similar past researches show that poor oral hygiene can increase bacteria in the blood, which then causes inflammation in various parts of the body.

Inflammation heightens heart failure and irregular heartbeat risks. In this condition, the ability of the heart to relax or pump blood is weakened.

An Important Discovery

The new research done by South Korean scientists studied the relationship between occurrences of heart failure or irregular heartbeat and oral hygiene. At the end of the study, which involved over 161,000 participants, they say they found evidence of such a relationship.

The participants went through regular medical examinations in the years between 2003 and 2004. Information concerning their weight, height, illnesses, oral health, oral hygiene habits, lifestyle, and laboratory tests were gathered.

Dr. Tae-Jin Song, the study’s senior author and professor at the Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, said that they studied this large group of participants over a long period. This further strengthened their findings.