What’s a secret to possibly preventing heart disease, diabetes or Alzheimer’s disease?
There are many effective strategies for reducing your risk, ranging from getting regular exercise and watching your diet to avoiding cigarettes and controlling your cholesterol.
But another measure has been emerging as a prevention powerhouse, one that is rarely discussed – and still frequently overlooked – by many health-conscious individuals.
In a word: Flossing.
Sure, the gums surrounding your teeth would seem to have very little to do with your heart, brain or insulin levels. Yet a growing body of evidence has found that your mouth is not only a window to the state of your overall health, it’s a factor in it.
As the data in support of a mouth-body connection continue to mount, “it is important to understand that simple activities like brushing and flossing twice a day, and regular visits to your dental professional can help lower your risk of other health conditions, said Susan Karabin, past president of the American Academy of Periodontology in a written statement.
Indeed, research studies now suggest that:
- If you have gum disease, you are twice as likely to develop diabetes as people with healthy gums.
- If you have already have diabetes as well as gum disease, it is much harder to keep your insulin levels in control.
- If you have high levels of plaque or bacteria under your gum line, you have two to four times the risk for a heart attack.
- Gum disease may also play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and some cancers, although more research is needed.
How could something seemingly as innocuous as swollen and bloody gums have such an impact on overall health? The same inflammation-causing bacteria that spur gums to swell can also travel to other parts of the body, causing inflammation throughout.
“It is like setting up a garbage dump on the edge of a river. You wouldn’t be surprised if the lake downstream ended up polluted with garbage from the dump,” said dental expert Vincent J. Iacono in a press release.
The thing is, about four in every five American adults have gum disease, according to the National Institutes of Health, putting themselves at risk for many of the health conditions that Navigenics assesses in our analysis of personal genetic risk.
Genetic testing can tell you whether you have a genetic predisposition for heart disease, diabetes or Alzheimer’s disease. If you do, it may be particularly important to break out the dental floss and give your gums the attention they deserve.
Codarus Apr 2, 2009
Interesting article