Dear Health-Conscious Friend,

Pick the odd one out: Halitosis, tooth decay, cavities, gum infections and heart disease...

If you said the first four items listed are all related to the mouth you'd be right... If you said heart disease was the odd one out, you'd be wrong!

Why?

Because research has shown that not brushing your teeth regularly could be a contributing factor to heart disease... Keep reading to see what Dr Martin says...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

Brush your way to a healthy heart
Dr Edward Martin
Editor, House Calls

If you're not brushing after your meals, you could be doing a lot worse than giving yourself bad breath and yellow chompers.

A new study confirms the evidence that has been building for years: People who brush their teeth the most have the lowest risk of heart disease. And people who brush the least may be setting themselves up for a lifetime of cardiovascular woes.

Researchers asked roughly 12,000 subjects about their teeth-brushing habits and found that over the course of eight years, people who said they "rarely or never brushed" (turns out some people will admit to that) had a 70% increased risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart attack or stroke than those who brushed at least twice a day.

Those who seldom brushed also had higher levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart problems, according to the study published in British Medical Journal. Some doctors even prescribe cholesterol meds based on CRP levels and not cholesterol.

Turns out these people don't need statins - just a new toothbrush. Other studies have made a similar connection between bad teeth and grimy gums and poor cardiovascular health. One recent study found that periodontal disease boosts heart disease risk by 19% and up to 44% in patients under the age of 65.

Your own mother probably taught you the basic keys to a clean mouth years ago and her advice still holds up today: Brush after meals and floss daily. But don't stop there - you can also get a boost with green tea, which has been found to lower the risk of gum disease.

Fish oil is also beneficial and one recent study found that people with the lowest levels of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA were 1.5 times more likely to have periodontal problems such as tooth decay and gum disease than those who got the most.

Of course, the best oral hygiene habits in the world won't make much of a difference if you're constantly brushing off the residue of fizzy drinks, sweets, cake and anything that comes from a drive-through window - so make sure your healthy lifestyle begins with what you put in your mouth in the first place.

Then, get a firm grip on some soft bristles and take better care of your beak.

Your heart will thank you... and so will those around you.

Is there such a thing as too much vitamin B12?

Q: Isn't taking too much B12 dangerous? I'm confused, because I've read several articles from you recommending large doses of the vitamin.

Dr. Wright: I've been working with vitamin B12 therapy since 1973 and I can tell you that the only way you could kill yourself with this nutrient would be to fill your bath with it and drown.

Over two decades ago, there was some concern that metabolic breakdown of very large quantities of a certain form of B12 (called cyanocobalamin) might set excess quantities of cyanide (from the "cyano" part of "cyanocobalamin") loose into the body. This theory has never been proven, but you can avoid even the very remote possibility of such a reaction by using different forms of vitamin B12: Hydroxocobalamin or methylcobalamin. Both are just as effective - if not more so - than cyanocobalamin.