No one wants to admit they’re carrying more pounds than is good for them, yet if the steadily rising obesity rates are any clue, we’re all only getting heavier. And this added weight is upping the risk of not only cardiovascular disease, but many other acquired diseases.

Experts warn that obesity isn’t just a problem on its own, those extra pounds are exacerbating other risks to our hearts as well. Carrying more weight than you should plays a part in almost all the coronary risk factors – boosting levels of bad cholesterol, raising blood pressure and increasing the chances of developing diabetes. All three are considered risk factors for heart disease.

All three respond readily to sustained weight loss.

A study just presented at an annual meeting of American Heart Association found that blood pressure and blood sugar levels keep going up in adults, driven mainly by increases in obesity. This overwhelms improving heart health trends like the drops in bad cholesterol and lower rates of smoking. And while we can replace the machines in our lives with new ones, our body, a truly fantastic machine, can’t be traded for new, its ours for life.

With childhood obesity rates also on the rise, the experts don’t hold out much hope for improvement in the coming years. Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every three kids and teens in the U.S. is obese. These children are far more likely to develop dangerous heart disease as they get older.

The answer isn’t one we want to hear, but if you’re concerned about heart disease, a hard look at your weight (or BMI number) is in order. Once you recover, you’ll want to start making some changes including …

- Eating more fruits and veggies, adding a serving a day and building from there.

- Choosing lean meats, try to eat fish more often.

- Choosing whole grain breads/pastas or brown rice over white.

- Eliminating sugary drinks and fruit juices, go for the diet version or water instead.

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Experts Warn: More Weight, More Heart Risk Continued…

What you eat is only part of the picture… to lose weight you’ve got to be more active.

When it comes to exercise, start slowly and build over time, especially if you’ve been inactive for a long while. Before you begin, talk with your doctor to be sure being active is safe for you. Once you get the okay, start by walking (or doing another enjoyable activity) three times a week and build from there.

Keep in mind that every pound equals almost 3,500 calories, so to lose a pound each week you’ll need to burn 500 more calories a day than you take in.

Remember successful weight loss takes time… after all, that weight didn’t appear overnight, losing it won’t happen that fast either. Experts recommend you start by setting a weight loss goal of 10 pounds in 6 months, and build from there. Losing just 10% of your body weight can have impressive benefits on your heart disease risks, and get you on the track to losing even more.

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Today 26.6 million (12%) of American adults have heart disease. There’s usually a gradual progression of symptoms over time, until they come so frequently or so severely that you must seek medical attention. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in this country and is the leading cause of serious, lasting disability. On average every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. has a stroke.

The latest research involved more than 37,000 people in the Netherlands who were followed for 13 years, making this one of the largest, and longest, studies to examine the impact of coffee and tea drinking on the health of the heart. The team used a questionnaire to get an idea of how much coffee or tea a subject drank, and at the end of the study they found that:

- Drinking 3-6 cups of tea a day brought a 45% lower risk of death from heart disease.

- Drinking more than 6 cups of tea a day was linked to a 36% lower risk of heart disease.

- Drinking as few as 2 but no more than 4 cups of coffee a day had a 20% lower risk of heart disease.

- Moderate coffee drinking was associated with a slight, but still not statistically significant, drop in death from heart disease.

- Neither coffee nor tea affected stroke risk.

While the amount of tea drunk sounds like a lot, a large glass of iced tea may have two to three cups of liquid. Try not to load up on the sugar, instead see if you can acquire a taste for the beverage in its natural state, or with a bit of lemon.

In case you’re wondering what type of tea… this is the first work to find benefits to drinking black tea, the variety more popular in the United States as well as in the Netherlands where the work was conducted.

Even more interesting, the association between tea and coffee drinking held up even when the researchers accounted for other factors usually tied to heart disease, things like smoking and lack of exercise. So if you’re healthy, and you enjoy tea or coffee, this study suggests drinking them brings no harm and might possibly do you some good.

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Drinking This Leads to Lower Heart Disease Risk… Continued…

Experts believe that the powerful antioxidants and flavonoids in both back tea and coffee may be the reason for the protective effect of these beverages. Other foods that have flavonoids include red grapes, red wine, dark chocolate, blueberries and red beans.

Since the study used only healthy volunteers, no one can say for sure if drinking these beverages will help existing disease. Relying on self reported data, and not getting specifics on which type of tea the subjects drank are all limitations of the work. You can read more about the study in the August 2010 online issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, a publication of the American Heart Association.

If you’re interested in preventing heart disease or reducing stroke risk, do everything you can to help yourself. Don’t smoke. Control any symptoms, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol that you have. Work closely with your doctor. Follow your treatment plan. Be as active as is safe for you and eat a healthy diet, and enjoy a guilt free cup or two of coffee or tea anytime you like.

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The team of researchers, led by Dr. Michel Chonchol analyzed the diet and blood pressure readings of over 4,500 adults in the U.S. who had no history of high blood pressure. The Centers of Disease Control (CDC) collected the data the team used via national surveys over a four-year period, including information on activity and body mass index. The team estimated the subjects’ fructose intake based on detailed diet questionnaires, nutrition information came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The average fructose intake of the subjects was 74 grams a day; about the amount you’d get from 2.5 cans of regular soda or other sources (cookies, candy and chocolate). Those who took in more fructose were even more likely to have hypertension than those who consumed less. In fact, above average fructose intake raised the chances of having a blood pressure reading over 140/90 and 160/100 by 30% and 77% respectively.

What’s worse, the increased risk appears to be independent of other eating habits including the amount of salt and carbs, and even the overall calorie intake.

We know how common high fructose corn syrup is in today’s foods – look on practically any label and you’ll find it. Detractors claim it contributes to obesity and being overweight, while tricking the body into wanting to eat more. Yet the industry has invested in a series of TV ads to convince the public the sweetener is safe and natural, while also claiming that the additive helps prolong shelf life, keeps moisture in, and is cheaper to use than real sugar.

Of course the findings of this latest study do not prove that fructose actually causes high blood pressure. Even though the researchers accounted for other health factors and dietary habits (besides fructose), it is possible that something else, as yet unknown, is the reason for the apparent link according to Dr. Cheryl Laffer a professor at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.

No one knows how fructose might impact blood pressure. One theory is that fructose may force the body to absorb sodium more readily. It might also up levels of uric acid, shown also to play a role in high blood pressure.

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It’s Not Just Salt That Ups High Blood Pressure… Continued…

Another important point, the research is based on self reported data supplied by the participants, and this method of collecting information relies on the accuracy and truthfulness of the recollections of the subjects. This makes for estimates of fructose intake that may not be as accurate as we’d like.

The Corn Refiners Association, the industry trade group, makes just this point, challenging the researchers estimate that 2.5 cans of regular soda has 74 grams of fructose. They also point out the very real limitations of self-reported diet habits. Watch for more work to be done.

Of course, this isn’t a reason to go on a sugar binge, or think that you need make no changes to your eating habits when trying to minimize causes of high blood pressure. Far from it. Taking in lots of high fructose corn syrup is not particularly good for you… it’s still sugar, still man-made. And yes, while it might be fine in moderation, it can be big trouble if you overindulge, which most of us do.

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High blood pressure is the most important of the risk factors identified in the research, but there are nine others that also bear some of the blame when it comes to stroke.

The one bright spot is that of the list, the top five are related to lifestyle – high blood pressure, smoking, abdominal obesity, diet and being physically active – accounting for 80% of all stroke risk.

In fact, blood pressure plays a part in both types of stroke. Ischemic caused by blockage of a blood vessel in the brain, and are the more common. Hemorrhagic (or bleeding stroke) happens when a blood vessel in the brain bursts and bleeds into the surrounding tissue. Both types are very dangerous and require immediate medical attention.

The findings of this work come out of the INTERSTROKE study, a standardized, case control bit of research that involved 3,000 subjects from 22 different countries who had strokes and an equal number of healthy controls with no stroke history.

A second phase of the study is underway now, with experts looking at the importance of the risk factors in different regions, ethnic groups and types of stroke. They plan to enroll more than 20,000 participants and also look at the link between genetics and stroke risk.

The list of ten risk factors that were also presented at the World Congress on Cardiology (WCC) held in Beijing are…

1. High blood pressure, across the board the most important factor – accounting for one third of all stroke risk.

2. Smoking

3. Being active on a regular basis

4. Waist-to-hip ratio (also known as abdominal obesity)

5. Diet – a high intake of fish and fruits was found helpful in reducing risk

6. Blood lipid levels, more important in the risk of ischemic stroke

7. Diabetes

8. Alcohol intake

9. Stress

10. Depression

And while many of these risk factors are ones we’ve heard about before, this is the first research to include both low and middle-income participants from developing countries in the mix. Other vital information comes from the brain scan conducted on the stroke survivors who participated in the study.

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Ten Factors That Account For 90% Of Stroke Risk… Continued…

In an editorial accompanying the research, Dr. Jack V. Tu of the University of Toronto pointed out that high blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke in all countries, developed or emerging nation.

The stroke risk factors are pretty similar no matter where you live. This highlights the need for medicine and public health officials to do whatever can be done to encourage people to reduce high blood pressure, which experts believe would have a major impact on the incidence of stroke. The best news is that many of the risk factors, blood pressure included, are under your control. What you eat, if you smoke or drink too much alcohol, even your stress levels can be changed. Starting today.

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In the first study, researchers out of the University of Ulm in Germany examined the biological behavior of resveratrol in human fat cells. This is the substance, found in the skin of red grapes, that’s been shown to be a potential protection against heart disease, cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The hypothesis of the researchers was that this substance might cut obesity by preventing young fat cells from maturing while also activating sirtuin 1, a protein that protects our heart from inflammation.

In the lab, resveratrol was found to influence fat cells’ form and function. It was not only able to stop the young cells from maturing; this kept them from differentiating and in turn affected their ability to function. While earlier work has used animals to look at the effects of resveratrol, this is the first research to be done on actual human fat cells.

The team also noticed that resveratrol did other things – stimulating glucose uptake into the fat cells and blocking molecules from changing into fat. It also helped the Sirt 1 protein and the secretion of adipokines, the fat cells that actually do the cell-to-cell talking. It may be that resveratrol prevents obesity to some extent, maybe by acting on that all-important cell signaling, while also supporting other metabolic effects that lead to a healthy heart.

Obesity, a major, well known risk factor for heart disease, could be treated with this substance according to researchers who point out that the World Health Organization estimates there are 1.6 billion people over the age of 15 who are overweight (BMI of 25.0-29.9), and at least 400 million people who are obese (BMI over 30.0). These numbers are expected to grow in the years to come.

The second of the two studies comes from the Israel Institute of Technology and finds that red wine enhanced the health of blood vessel cells.

The work involved 15 healthy adults (mean age 29) who consumed 250 mL (8.5 ounces) of red wine each day for three weeks in a row. The subjects gave blood samples at the beginning and end of the study period.

The team found that drinking red wine significantly enhanced vascular endothelial function – in other words, it improved the health of blood vessels, which in turn improves blood flow and the health of the heart itself.

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How Red Wine Might Help Your Weight and Heart… Continued…

Drinking the red wine each day also seemed to reduce apoptosis, or cell death.

In populations where red wine is a mainstay, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease is low according to the researchers.

Drinking moderate amounts does provide some protection to your heart. It may be that red wine increases nitric oxide availability and triggers a cellular communication process that’s needed for blood vessels to work properly. The endothelial cells in blood vessels rely on nitric oxide to tell the vessel tissue to relax, and this helps blood flow. The red wine appears to facilitate the communication that gets this process going.

In an editorial published along with the two studies, experts from the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland call for clinical trials to measure the effect of drinking red wine and assess the compounds ability to reverse existing cardiovascular disease. The new insights are welcome, though questions linger regarding red wine’s biological properties and mechanism of action.

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The first study out of Tilburg University in the Netherlands involves data from 20 studies on almost 250,000 subjects and found that anxiety was tied to a 26% increased risk of heart disease, and a 48% higher risk of heart related death over the follow up period, even after adjusting for other heart disease risk factors.

The second study out of Karolinska Institutet in Sweden examined data on 50,000 Swedish men and also found anxiety problems as predictors, more than doubling the risk of future heart disease, even after controlling for known risks like high blood pressure and smoking.

While worry and stress, fear and the occasional case of nerves are a natural part of life, if these feelings are persistent, seem to be out of control and overwhelm your waking hours then you may have something more serious, an anxiety disorder. The term is used by experts to describe a group of conditions that include generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder as well as specific phobias like heights or closed in spaces.

Experts now believe that there may be a genetic component to anxiety, and today’s estimates have almost 40 million Americans coping with anxiety disorders.

When it comes to treatment, there are some natural, highly effective ways to deal with anxiety:

- Aerobic exercise is a huge help, not just because it helps burn off stress but it also has beneficial effects on circulation and strengthening the heart. Exercise also helps you maintain a healthy weight, important for a healthy heart.

- Don’t smoke as this improves your odds of avoiding heart disease.

- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a well-established, very effective treatment that focuses on identifying, understanding and changing thinking and thus behavior patterns. Help comes in 12 to 16 weeks, and the techniques you learn last a lifetime.

- Acupuncture, the Chinese practice of inserting hair-thin needles into the body at special points to change the flow of energy has been increasingly shown to be effective against anxiety disorders.

- Yoga, combining physical postures, breathing, meditation and a very distinct philosophy is very effective against anxiety.

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Anxiety Ups Risk Of Heart Disease… Continued…

An accompanying editorial written by a psychiatry professor at the University of California-San Diego, Joel Dimsdale, MD, points out that the findings of both studies underscore the need for doctors to assess the emotional health of patients, just as they do physical symptoms.

The studies don’t address treatment or ways to reduce anxiety by using medications, therapy, stress reduction or changes in your lifestyle, but it’s clear that treating your anxiety can bring long-term benefits to body as well as mind.

According to Dimsdale, doctors aren’t comfortable asking patients about feelings and their everyday lives. But doing so might help in identify those at risk for serious health problems such as cardiovascular disease.

So if you deal with anxiety, and you’re concerned about your heart disease risk, you need to start a conversation with your doctor – remember you can’t get help until you let your medical team know about your problem, and there are many treatments available. The thing to know is that anxiety does not have to be a part of your life forever. Things can be better. Starting now.

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These delicious nuts are also loaded with antioxidants and healthy fats, as well as being packed full of vitamins and minerals like selenium and iron.

This latest Penn State University research involved 10 men and 18 women, all healthy eaters, nonsmokers and without health problems, who added pistachios to what they ate each day.

The team, including Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at the university, found that eating the nuts increased the antioxidant levels in those with high cholesterol.

Earlier work has shown pistachios lowered lipids and lipoproteins (a recognized risk factor for heart disease), and the latest research demonstrates other effects that come to the body from enjoying these tasty treats.

The participants in the research ate a diet of 35% total fat, and 11% saturated fat for two weeks. This way of eating was intended to mimic the typical American diet.

Next the researchers used a controlled feeding experiment to test three diets for four weeks each, leaving a two-week break between the eating plans.

The control diet was based on the widely known Step 1 Diet, a cholesterol-lowering plan that allows for 25% total fat and 8% saturated fat. The other two diets examined by the team were built on the Step 1 plan – one added 10% of calories from pistachios (about 1.5 ounces), the second added 20% of daily calories (3.0 ounces) from pistachios.

The diets that included pistachios brought higher blood levels of antioxidants than found in the blood of those eating the so-called typical American diet without pistachios.

There were also lower serum oxidized concentrations of LDL cholesterol in the blood of those following a pistachio-enriched diet. Even after the team controlled for the LDL lowering effects, the antioxidants in the pistachios were still found to have an effect on LDL levels in the bloodstream of those eating the highest levels of the nuts.

These findings suggest that a diet including a limited amount of pistachios contributes to lower LDL levels and also brings powerful antioxidants to the body as an extra benefit.

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These Nuts Protect Your Heart… Continued…

The antioxidants, one of the highest of all nuts, that are naturally part of pistachios are all names you’ve heard before – lutein, beta-carotene, and gamma-tocopherol. All three help to prevent oxidation of LDL.

Though currently studies on antioxidants don’t show specific health gains, this is a disappointment to the scientific community that points out that epidemiological studies do suggest benefits.

Pistachios are a cholesterol free snack that’s naturally loaded with more than 30 different vitamins, minerals and nutrients in shell. They even have more potassium and phytosterols than other nuts you might eat. So go ahead and enjoy this tasty treat… just two ounces (about 98 nuts) a day of this good-for-you nut may be all it takes to lower cholesterol naturally and reduce your risk of heart problems. But remember any nut, including pistachios, should be eaten in moderate amounts. Even though the fat is considered healthy, it’s still fat and adds calories to your daily intake.

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High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a major risk for heart disease and dangerous, debilitating stroke.

The latest work included 810 adults (25-79 years old) who had prehypertension (120-139 for the systolic number, or 80-89 for the diastolic number) or early stage 1 hypertension (140-159 for the systolic number, or 90-99 for the diastolic reading) who were taking part in an 18 month long trial intended to bring down blood pressure by losing weight, eating right and exercising.

The systolic number is the reading (the top number) that represents the heart at work, while the diastolic number (the bottom number) is the heart at rest. An ideal blood pressure reading is now considered anything below 120/80.

Most of the subjects in the study drank an average of 10.5 fluid ounces of sugar or high fructose corn syrup containing drinks each day. The drinks included regular soda, fruit drinks, lemonade and fruit punch. When the subjects halved their soda intake, a 1.5 point reduction in the systolic blood pressure, and a 1.1 drop in the diastolic number were the result. This stood up even after controlling for other risk factors known to be involved with hypertension. Hard to argue with that.

Americans down almost 28 ounces (in 2.3 servings) of sugared drinks every day, making it a very popular choice, and according to the American Heart Association, one in three adults in the U.S. has been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Just imagine the impact of cutting the sugar-laden drinks on those numbers if more people got the message that these drinks are hurting their heart and blood pressure.

To put these findings in perspective, data cited in the report suggests that a three-point drop in systolic blood pressure could cut the risk of dying after a stroke by 8%; heart disease death by 5%.

What accounts for the effect of sweet beverages on blood pressure isn’t understood, but there are theories. Some believe these drinks, often loaded up with sodium, can up your blood pressure. The sugar raises levels of hormones known as catecholamines that actually cause blood pressure to go up.

Director of the Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, George Bakris, MD, believes that uric acid is also a factor. That high fructose corn syrup brings up uric acid levels, and this has been found to increase blood pressure. Not sure how much of this you’re taking in, Bakris suggests you start reading labels, and work to cut what you’re consuming by half and you’ll see some benefit.

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Cutting Sweetened Sodas Could Save Lives… Continued…

For now there are 20 cities and states that are thinking about taxing sugar sweetened beverages, but no legislation has passed yet. This latest study is one of a incredibly long list that show the negative impact of drinking these beverages on the body, fueling more calls for taxing them.

In a written reply, the American Beverage Association maintains the focus on losing weight, cutting calories from all foods (and drinks) and burning more calories as the best way to bring those blood pressure numbers down. Specific food choices aren’t thought to factor into things at all, while weight loss clearly does have an impact. Also fair to note, this study is a secondary analysis of another that was looking at the impact of weight loss (not cutting foods/drinks) to reduce blood pressure.

Before you place all the blame on drinking sodas… condiments like ketchup and sauces also bring their share of trouble. And just think of the amounts of these just-for-accent toppings you’re using… we’re all taking in more calories than we think, in more places than we realize.

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A limited number of studies also show that green tea might have a role in bringing down your cholesterol numbers, preventing diabetes and stroke, burning fat, maybe even holding off dementia. Impressive enough for American Dietetic Association spokeswoman and nutritionist Katherine Tallmadge, RD, LD to believe in green tea, in all teas in fact.

Before you jump on the green tea bandwagon, you need to understand you’ll be drinking more than a cup or two… at least three to an even better six cups a day are needed to get the benefits.

What’s more, how the tea is made is important, using bags or loose tea is the optimum choice – it must be brewed. You aren’t getting anything from an iced green tea drink you buy at the mini mart.

Green tea comes from the same plant, camellia sinensis, as black and oolong teas, and though each is created using different processing methods (green tea has minimal processing) all are typically brewed and drunk.

There are lots of varieties of green tea grown in areas all over the world, which allows for natural differences in taste and color that come as a result of growing conditions, harvesting and processing.

Drinkers say that green tea has a light, pleasing flavor.

The real world evidence for green tea benefits comes mainly from the lab, and this keeps experts from suggesting everyone start drinking it regularly.

There have been a few promising large scale studies in humans on the impact of green tea on heart disease and cancer, but it’s important to understand this research was conducted in the East, where green tea is part of everyone’s diet and where other foods (lots of fish and soy protein) and lifestyle factors may also be contributing to the benefits.

Green tea does have some key antioxidants (catechins) and compounds that are important to keeping your body healthy. Moderate green tea drinking is safe for most of us, though it does have some caffeine (not without side effects), and a small amount of vitamin K (an issue if you’re taking anticoagulants) per cup.

There are other natural sources of these healthful nutrients, foods that you can eat that might also deliver some incredible benefits to your health. Blueberries and pomegranates are both tasty options.

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Green Tea: The Hottest ‘Superfood’ Around..? Continued…

You may also have heard of tea extracts in capsules, though experts aren’t sure that you get the benefits in this form. And while this formulation probably can’t hurt you, it certainly isn’t the optimal way to get the best of green tea nutrients. Experts speculate nutritious compounds in green tea might need to be consumed at the same time.

Green tea is also part of many skin care products. It does have antioxidant properties (beating out vitamins A, C and E) and can protect against sun damage by working to subdue unhealthy cells. It’s also good for easing rosacea redness, and has been found to be a good acne treatment as well.

Green tea health benefits can certainly complement other good things you’re doing in terms of diet according to Diane McKay, PHD, a Tufts University expert on antioxidants. It’s important to get a balance of fruits, veggies, grains, seeds and nuts in what you’re eating while adding a few cups a day of delicious, delightful green tea to what you’re drinking.

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The findings of the latest work in this area appear in the journal BMJ, and come as the result of an examination of more than 11,000 men and women who were part of the Scottish Health Survey, a national, population-based survey that examined lifestyle habits like level of activity, smoking status and oral health routine.

For the present work, researchers combined data from the 1995, 1998 and 2003 surveys of adults over 35 years old. Survey interviewers visited households and collected information on demographics and lifestyle factors; they measured height and weight and asked about activity. On a separate visit, nurses took the medical and family history as well as blood samples.

As part of the survey, the subjects were asked if they visited a dentist at least once every six months, every one to two years, rarely or never. They also supplied information on how often they brushed; twice a day, once a day or less than every day.

In the end, the analysis found that that:

- 62% of participants went to a dentist every six months… dentists reading this are smiling now.

- 71% brushed two times a day… more good news for the dentists.

After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors (obesity, smoking, social class, family heart disease history), the team found that those who said they brushed less frequently had a 70% increased risk of heart disease. These subjects were also more likely to test positive for the typical bloodstream inflammatory markers… things like fibrinogen and C-reactive protein. The researchers suggest that systemic inflammation could be the underlying thing that links both oral health and heart health, though more work is needed to be sure.

Not taking care of your teeth is the major cause of periodontal disease, a chronic infection of the tissues around the teeth. The gum infections add to the inflammatory burden on a person, thus increasing cardiovascular risks.

Richard Watt, DDS of University College London believes that the results confirm and further strengthen the association between oral hygiene and the risk of heart disease. This is hardly a shock to most experts. Even more exciting to researchers is that the change to make is a simple, easy one… brush more often, don’t neglect your teeth.

Your dentist, and the American Dental Association, will tell you that proper brushing is the best way to clean both your teeth and gums. Here are the basics for a quick reminder:

- Use a toothbrush with soft, nylon, rounded bristles.

- Place the bristles along the gumline at a 45-degree angle so that they touch both the tooth and the gum. Gently brush the outer surfaces of two to three teeth at a time using a vibrating back and forth motion, then move on to the next few teeth and repeat.

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Brushing Teeth Every Day Keeps Killer Disease Away… Continued…

- Use the same 45-degree angle and motions (back and forth, and rolling) to cover all the tooth surfaces.

- Tilt the brush vertically behind the front teeth; make a few up and down motions.

- Place the brush against the biting surface of the teeth and use a back and forth scrubbing motion.

- Brush your tongue from back to front.

Remember, to make sure your teeth brushing is most effective, you’ll want to get a new toothbrush every three to four months to be sure its not harboring bacteria that can cause periodontal disease as well as colds and flu.

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