Steven R. Gundry
Steven R. Gundry, International Heart and Lung Institute in Palm Springs, California. He is author of Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution (Crown).
Marjory Abrams, publisher of Bottom Line Publications, has a theory that dentists will eventually become first-line practitioners for assorted medical issues, thanks to increasing evidence connecting oral health and hygiene with chronic disease throughout the body. Here’s yet another study connecting flossing and inflammatory ailments that reinforces her vision. This time, researchers found that flossing reduces C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a critical biomarker of inflammation in the body. High levels of CRP have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk including heart attack and stroke.
The flossing-CRP connection was made almost by accident. Cardiologist Steven R. Gundry, of the International Heart and Lung Institute in Palm Springs, California, told me that after years of haphazard flossing, he finally started doing it regularly and within a few months saw something startling. His CRP levels, which had been mildly elevated, had dropped into the normal range. Intrigued, he established a study with 300 cardiovascular patients and focused on those with CRP levels that were higher than the average risk level of 1.5 mg/L. After flossing regularly for six months, participants’ CRP levels were measured and they had dropped to average or low. “If I can get patients to floss, we’re more than halfway there,” he said. Dr. Gundry also puts patients on a healthy heart diet, which he believes reduces risk as well.
The connection between lowered CRP and flossing is as follows, says Dr. Gundry…
Dr. Gundry says that he found flossing every other day was enough to lower his CRP levels to 1.5 mg/L. However, daily flossing will reward you with even lower CRP, he says. If you fall back into your neglectful ways, sorry to say your CRP level will climb right back up again. Flossing needs to be a life-long habit, for your heart as well as your dental health.