A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says that a flu shot helps seniors lower their risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The study followed more than 6,000 patients with an average age of 67. More than a third of the people in the survey suffered from some form of heart disease. Those who had been given a flu shot had an almost 2% less risk of a heart attack or stroke than those who did not take the injection.

“The study is important because it reconfirms that there are benefits to getting the flu vaccination,” Dr. David Frid of the Cleveland Clinic told Fox News. “In people who have recently had a cardiac event…it reduces the likelihood of their having some type of cardiovascular complication if they do develop the flu.”

The study was conducted specifically involving those who contracted the influenza virus and not the common cold.

Dr. Frid said that getting the flu does not directly cause heart disease but that the body’s stress from being sick from the flu can raise blood pressure and cause other cardiac complications.