Scots are always encouraged to be health conscious, whether that’s exercising regularly, getting their five a day, or taking care of their mental health.
We do this to lessen our chances of suffering major scares, like strokes and heart attacks. In 2022, 3,874 people in Scotland died from cerebrovascular disease, which includes stroke, according to Public Health Scotland.
However, this is a decrease of 25 per cent over the previous decade. This suggests individuals are taking steps to protect themselves from strokes, and Dr Amir Khan has now added his voice to the conversation with useful insight.
Dr Amir told ITV Lorraine viewers the simple thing you can do that may reduce your risk of a stroke by more than a fifth. “The evidence for this is strong,” Dr Amir insisted. “It’s come from the American Stroke Association. We’ve kind of known about this for a while but it’s good to have more evidence.
“They say flossing your teeth just even once a week can reduce your risk of having a clot type of stroke by 22 per cent – that’s more than a fifth.
“What we know is gum disease – inflamed gums, bacteria in your gums – can cause inflammation in that area. A little bit of inflammation is okay but long term inflammation can increase your stress hormones, cortisol, and adrenaline. All of that can put your blood pressure up and increase the risk of a stroke.”
Dr Amir went on: “The bacteria in your gums can get into your bloodstream through inflamed gums. This contributes to more inflammation but also atherosclerosis – hardening of the blood vessels and the build-up of plaques.
“We also know people who have gum disease are more likely to eat sugary foods and ultra processed foods, which contribute to heart attacks and strokes.”
Dr Amir, who is a full-time GP, best selling author. and resident doctor for ITV’s Lorraine and Good Morning Britain, detailed five ways you can lessen your risk of experiencing a stroke, and they are very simple and easy to follow.
“Brush your teeth twice a day, two minutes each,” Dr Amir advised. “Floss once a day, stop smoking, manage alcohol levels and a good tip is eat high fibre food, particularly hard vegetables like carrots. They are like a natural tooth brush through the day as you eat them.”