Brushing Teeth Three Times a Day Reduces Heart Attack Risks

Brushing your teeth three or more times per day is associated with lower risks of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. (AFP)
Brushing your teeth three or more times per day is associated with lower risks of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. (AFP)
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Brushing Teeth Three Times a Day Reduces Heart Attack Risks

Brushing your teeth three or more times per day is associated with lower risks of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. (AFP)
Brushing your teeth three or more times per day is associated with lower risks of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. (AFP)

Brushing your teeth at least three times a day could lower the risk of heart failure by more than 10 percent, a study has found.

Researchers linked it to a lower risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes an irregular heart rate.

It is thought that frequent brushing reduces bacteria living between the teeth and gums, preventing it from entering the bloodstream.

Scientists in South Korea examined the connection between oral hygiene and heart problems in the study of 161,000 people aged between 40 and 79. They had a routine medical examination between 2003 and 2004.

By the time of a follow-up ten years later, around 5 percent had developed heart failure and three percent atrial fibrillation.

Brushing three or more times a day was associated with a 12 percent lower risk of heart failure and a 10 percent reduced risk of atrial fibrillation. The findings were independent of factors including age, sex, financial status, regular exercise, alcohol consumption and body mass index.

Other studies have shown that poor oral hygiene leads to bacteria in the blood, causing inflammation in the body. This increases the risk of an irregular beat and heart failure.



Baby Born on Packed Migrant Boat off Canary Islands 'Doing Well'

A migrant holds a newborn baby as a woman lies inside a rubber boat with other migrants who were rescued off the island off the Canary Island of Lanzarote in Spain, in this handout picture obtained on January 8, 2025/File Photo
A migrant holds a newborn baby as a woman lies inside a rubber boat with other migrants who were rescued off the island off the Canary Island of Lanzarote in Spain, in this handout picture obtained on January 8, 2025/File Photo
TT

Baby Born on Packed Migrant Boat off Canary Islands 'Doing Well'

A migrant holds a newborn baby as a woman lies inside a rubber boat with other migrants who were rescued off the island off the Canary Island of Lanzarote in Spain, in this handout picture obtained on January 8, 2025/File Photo
A migrant holds a newborn baby as a woman lies inside a rubber boat with other migrants who were rescued off the island off the Canary Island of Lanzarote in Spain, in this handout picture obtained on January 8, 2025/File Photo

A baby girl, who was born on a packed migrant dinghy headed for Spain's Lanzarote island in the Canaries, was being treated in hospital along with her mother and both were in good condition, medical and regional government authorities said on Thursday.

The pair were being treated with antibiotics and monitored by a pediatric team, Dr Maria Sabalich, emergency coordinator of the Molina Orosa University Hospital in Lanzarote, told Reuters.

"The mother and child are safe," she said. "They are still in the hospital, but they are doing well."

The Spanish coastguard said the boat carrying the pregnant mother had embarked from Tan-Tan, a province in Morocco about 135 nautical miles (250 km) southeast of Lanzarote.

Upon discharge from hospital, the mother and infant will be received at a humanitarian center for migrants, before likely being moved to a reception center for mothers and young children on another island, Cristina Ruiz, a spokesperson for the Spanish government in the Canaries capital Las Palmas, told Reuters.

The latest arrivals add to the thousands of migrants that strike out for the Canaries from the western African coast each year on a perilous sea voyage that claims thousands of lives.

Thanks to good weather, the rescue operation was straightforward, Domingo Trujillo, captain of the Spanish coastguard ship that rescued the migrants - a total of 60 people including 14 women and four children - told Spanish wire service EFE.

"The baby was crying, which indicated to us that it was alive and there were no problems, and we asked the woman's permission to undress her and clean her," he said. "The umbilical cord had already been cut by one of her fellow passengers. The only thing we did was to check the child, give her to her mother and wrap them up for the trip."

Overnight, the Canary Islands' rescue services recovered two more boats, bearing a total of 144 people.

Trujillo said the crews were exhausted but proud of their work.

"Almost every night we leave at dawn and arrive back late," he said. "This case is very positive, because it was with a newborn, but in all the services we do, even if we are tired, we know we are helping people in distress."