We used to think health canals were bad. Then we learn that poor oral hygiene can cause everything from heart problem to diabetes. Now more news: The state of your teeth may affect your mind too. Over ten years, doctors at the University of Kentucky tested 144 nun ages 75 to 98 on memory and everyday functioning, and analyzed dental records. Those with fewer than ten teeth at the start were likely to develop dimentia. Why? it may be due to inflammation of nutritional deficiencies, infection of childhood diseases ( which could affect the developing brain and lead to dental problems). More research is needed, but keep this study next time you're "too busy" to floss. In other news, a blood test with a 90% accuracy rate may one day predict Alzheimer's. The test also predicted who would get sick more than two years before diagnosis.

courtesy of Reader's Digest