Getting your flu shot may not only help you avoid suffering from a bout of influenza but it may also reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Researchers say that when you reduce your risk of getting the flu, you also avoid the inflammatory effects in your heart’s arteries that can cause a heart attack.

Now an article in the journal Stroke says that the same may be true for stroke. According to the article, getting a flu shot cut the risk of stroke by nearly 60% for people aged 60 to 75.

This conclusion was based on a study of 90 survivors of stroke over age 60 compared with a control group. 56% of the control group had gotten a flu shot within five years compared to only 40% of the stroke group.