Researchers focused on data from more than 6,000 study participants with an average age of 62 years old. The group was followed for up to 25 years as part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Over the course of the study, 434 participants had a stroke and 1,291 were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib).
Overall, flossing at least once per week was associated with a 22% lower risk of ischemic stroke, a 44% lower risk of cardioembolic stroke and a 12% lower risk of AFib. Flossing more often appeared to lead to more significant risk reductions.
The reduced risk is independent of oral care such as regular teeth brushing and visits to the dentist, the research showed.
“We knew that flossing regularly will lower the body’s level of inflammation, and the level of oral infection, but now, based on this study, we know it will reduce the rate of stroke, atrial fibrillation, and cardioembolic stroke,” study investigator Souvik Sen, MD, professor and chair, Department of Neurology**,** University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, told Medscape Medical News.
It doesn’t decrease risk of anything, it’s associated with a lower risk of having the events mentioned, that’s totally different, because confounding factors that has nothing to do with flossing could be the cause.
You’d need a clinical trial to substantiate this.
I use the Smart floss from Dr Tung only because it says no BPA, PFAS, PTFE. No idea why anybody would put these things in floss, but apparently they do.
I also like the soft picks, which don’t say they don’t contain poison so they probably do. But they’re great picks and work well for me after eating meat.
It’s not flossing that lowers the risk but the reduction of periodontal disease, which can increase inflammation throughout the body. There is research about that. In addition to floss, I use a Water Pik.
