As the Sun reaches its most active period in 22 years, we’re increasingly aware of the potential risks from severe space weather events. In our latest blog post, find out how we’re refining our understanding and responses to space weather, ensuring the UK remains resilient to these cosmic challenges.
What is space weather, and why are we monitoring it? Read More »
Nanoplastics, and their slightly larger cousins microplastics, are polluting our environment and our food. The study of these tiny particles is still a relatively new field and in this blog post for British Science Week we’ll explore how scientists are investigating the effects nanoparticles are having on the human brain and its defences.
Nanoplastics are everywhere: what is the health impact of these tiny particles? Read More »
For British Science Week, we take a look at how decades old, pre-antibiotic samples in our Culture Collections are helping to address health security challenges today. Read our latest blog post to find out how our specimens have become essential ingredients in some of the most important scientific developments in history – some more than once.
From 6 April 2025, we’re expanding the list of pathogens that Registered Medical Professionals and laboratories in England must notify us about. The changes will strengthen local and national surveillance and support a prompt response to outbreaks of infectious diseases. …
Changes to health protection notification regulations (NOIDs) Read More »
In this blog post we take a behind-the-scenes look at the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL), where our scientists work to safeguard public health from rare and deadly diseases. Our laboratories RIPL is the UK’s frontline clinical diagnostic laboratory …
Behind the Scenes at RIPL: Protecting the UK from deadly diseases Read More »
This blog post summarises the key points about Lassa fever and what UKHSA does when a case of an infectious disease such as Lassa fever is identified in the UK.
What are the symptoms of Lassa fever and how is it spread? Read More »
Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, remains the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the latest data from the American Heart Association (AHA).
Lifestyle interventions, including healthy dietary changes and regular exercise, are some of the most effective methods of prevention against cardiovascular disease (CVD).
A lesser-known tactic involves a secret weapon you might already have in your medicine cabinet: dental floss.
Flossing should be part of any regular oral care routine, but it could also have significant beneficial effects on heart and brain health.
New research shows that regular flossing was associated with a significantly lower risk of certain forms of stroke and atrial fibrillation (AFib). The findings are being presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2025 this week.
“We have known that gum disease and dental caries are risk factors for stroke and heart attack. Flossing is already known to reduce the rate of heart attack,” Souvik Sen, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Neurology, Prisma Health Richland Hospital and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, and author of the research, told Healthline.
“Our research suggests that dental flossing can reduce the risk of stroke, and higher frequency of flossing leads to further reduction of stroke.”
Researchers analyzed the data of more than 6,000 participants in the ongoing Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort study, which began in 1987. The study utilizes a comprehensive questionnaire to assess various lifestyle factors and behaviors on atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries).
Sen and his team were specifically interested in the association of flossing, independent of other oral care factors such as brushing and regular dentist visits, on cardiovascular disease outcomes.
About 65% of the cohort (4,092) reported flossing. Over a 25-year follow-up period, 434 participants experienced strokes, with 97 of those identified as a specific subtype called a cardioembolic stroke, in which a blood clot travels from the heart to the brain.
Compared to those who did not report flossing, flossers experienced a 22% lower risk of ischemic stroke and a 44% lower risk of cardioembolic stroke.
Flossing was also associated with a 12% lower risk of atrial fibrillation, the most common form of irregular heartbeat. AFib is also the leading cause of cardioembolic strokes.
“There is an increasing awareness of the role of inflammation in the development of AFib and it will be interesting to have more research into this association and, if true, the potential mechanism,” Rod Passman, MD, a professor of medicine and director of the Center for Arrhythmia Research at Northwestern University who wasn’t affiliated with the research, told Healthline.
“Studies like this are limited by the self-reporting and the potential for confounders — do people who floss also engage in other activities that may be good for their heart that may not be measured in the study,” Passman cautioned.
The mechanism for why flossing may reduce stroke risk isn’t yet certain, but researchers are honing in on the role of inflammation as a risk factor for heart disease.
“Oral health behaviors are linked to inflammation and artery hardening. Flossing may reduce stroke risk by lowering oral infections and inflammation and encouraging other healthy habits,” said Sen.
Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the gums that can lead to chronic inflammation.
As with other forms of inflammation, evidence suggests that periodontitis may be linked to cardiovascular disease. The link also suggests that good oral health habits like brushing and flossing may be a potential lifestyle factor for reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
Researchers investigated additional links between oral health, the gut, and stroke risk and presented their findings this week at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference.
Lead researcher Shuichi Tonomura, MD, staff physician in the department of neurology at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center in Osaka, Japan, identified an apparent association between the presence of the bacteria Streptococcus anginosus and stroke.
Streptococcus anginosus commonly lives in both the oral and gut microbiota, but Tonomura and his team found that it was abundant in the gut of stroke survivors.
In fact, the amount of streptococcus anginosus in the saliva and the gut was associated with both a higher risk of stroke and worse outcomes, including death and other major cardiovascular events, following a stroke.
“I want to propose that examining gut microbiota patterns has been suggested to be potentially useful for assessing stroke risk and prognosis,” Tonomura told Healthline.
Both Tonomura and Sen’s research highlights the complex relationship between oral health and cardiovascular disease, and points to new areas for research into prevention.
Tonomura suggested that Streptococcus anginosus could one day serve as a biomarker to help determine stroke risk and that targeting harmful bacteria through proper oral health strategies could lower your risk of stroke.
According to Sen, regular flossing may also be a relatively easy way to improve oral health and also help prevent cardiovascular disease.
“Dental flossing could be an added and inexpensive health behavior one could adapt to prevent one from having a stroke,” said Sen.
Doctors attributed nearly 1 million deaths to cardiovascular disease in 2022, the most recent year included in the AHA’s 2025 annual report on heart disease and stroke.
To put that in more concrete terms: on average, one person in the U.S. dies from CVD every 34 seconds.
“Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, a trend that has persisted for over a century,” corresponding author Latha P. Palaniappan, MD, FAHA, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford Medicine, told Healthline.
Cardiovascular disease is responsible for more deaths than all forms of cancer and accidental death (which includes drug overdose and car accidents) — the number two and three causes of death in the U.S. — combined.
Making meaningful, actionable changes to improve your overall health can help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. For better heart health, Palaniappan suggested following the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8 checklist:
Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, remains the leading cause of death for Americans. Modifiable risk factors, including diet and exercise, continue to play a crucial role in lowering your risk.
Researchers are focusing on the role of poor oral health as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Conversely, good oral health habits, such as flossing, may reduce your risk, new research suggests.
Flossing may be a simple, inexpensive way to lower your risk of certain forms of cardiovascular disease, like AFib and stroke.
Regular Flossing Linked to Better Heart Health, Reduced Stroke, AFib Risk Read More »
The bird flu outbreak continues to spread across the United States.
Over the last 30 days, the H5N1 avian flu has been confirmed in 107 flocks (66 commercial and 41 backyard) in 18 states and has affected nearly 18 million birds.
Since the outbreak began in 2022, 145 million chickens, turkeys, and other birds have been slaughtered to keep the virus from spreading. It should be noted that there are nearly 380 million egg-laying chickens and more than 9 billion broiler chickens in the U.S.
Despite the spread of bird flu in animals, experts say the risk of humans contracting the illness remains low. Since March 2024, there have been 67 confirmed cases of avian flu in humans and only one associated death in the U.S.
“There is no evidence to suggest that properly handled, stored, and cooked eggs can lead to avian influenza infections in people,” Timothy Brewer, MD, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California Los Angeles, told Healthline.
Nonetheless, the bird flu outbreak has raised concerns about the illness spreading to people. It also has sent the price of eggs skyrocketing, leading to a nationwide egg shortage.
The latest figures from December show that the average price for a dozen eggs in the United States has hit $4.15. That isn’t as high as the record price of $4.82 per dozen set two years ago, but it is still double the price from summer 2023. In addition, federal agricultural officials expect the cost of eggs to rise another 20% in 2025.
Part of the reason for the increase in price is that an infection of just a few birds forces poultry farmers to slaughter an entire flock to contain the outbreak. It can then take weeks for the carcasses to be removed and a new flock to be brought in, reducing the supply of eggs and driving up the price.
The avian flu has been detected in dairy cows in the past.
However, experts say pasteurized milk is safe to drink since the heated pasteurization process kills the bird flu virus. Some raw milk products, though, may pose a bird flu risk.
Raw pet food has also been linked to bird flu disease-related illness and death in cats.
However, bird flu has not been detected in chicken and beef products for human consumption. Still, experts recommend thoroughly cooking meat to kill any potential traces of the bird flu virus.
When it comes to eggs, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials say there are simple safety precautions you can take to lower the risk of illnesses, such as choosing pasteurized eggs.
When purchasing and storing eggs, the FDA urges consumers to:
“In general, I recommend avoiding buying cracked eggs or eggs past their expiration date,” said Brewer. “I am not aware of any data to suggest that organic eggs are safer than non-organic eggs. The same biosafety regulations apply to both.”
William Schaffner, MD, a professor of preventive medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, agreed.
“The public can buy eggs with confidence. Eggs have a strong safety record. Eggs, whether white, brown, organic, or pasteurized, all are safe,” he told Healthline.
When cooking eggs, FDA officials recommend:
“Pasteurized eggs have a lower risk of infection because pasteurization is effective in killing viruses including avian influenza and bacteria,” Brewer noted.
“Persons concerned about food safety should consider using pasteurized eggs when eating raw or undercooked eggs. There is no infectious risk difference between pasteurized and non-pasteurized eggs when eggs are properly cooked.”
If you suspect that you or another person has contracted a foodborne illness, contact a healthcare professional immediately.
The bird flu outbreak continues to spread in the U.S., affecting more than 100 flocks in 18 states over the past 30 days. However, the risk of a person contracting the illness is low.
Federal officials recommend that consumers purchase only refrigerated eggs. They add that eggs should be immediately refrigerated once they are brought home.
Pasteurized eggs have a lower risk of infection since the process effectively kills viruses and bacteria, but thoroughly cooking unpasteurized eggs is also considered safe.
They add that eggs should be cooked until the yolk and white are firm, and scrambled eggs should be cooked until they are fluffy and not runny.
Buying Eggs During the Bird Flu Outbreak? Here’s What You Should Know Read More »
