The text below is an excerpt from an article about how to increase life expectancy. Such article lists some habits which are known for improving one's health and, as a result, increasing some years in one's life.
[...] The fact that flossing daily can extend life expectancy falls in the weird-but-true category. Flossing does two things—it prevents gum disease (that's rather obvious), and it prevents heart disease (not so obvious). Preventing both of these together is what adds years to your life.
When you floss, you help prevent your gums from becoming inflamed. What is happening when your gums are inflamed is that you have a chronic bacterial infection in your mouth. This harms your arteries through two mechanisms.
The first is that the bacteria find their way into your arteries and hang out (causing plaques). As well, your body mounts an immune response to the bacteria in your mouth, causing inflammation, which in turn can cause your arteries to narrow. This makes it hard for your heart to do its job and can lead to heart disease. [...]
(Source:https://www.verywellhealth.com/simple-steps-to-increase-your-life-expectancy-2223907 - retrieved on April 8th, 2023)
What habit does this excerpt deal with?
