Are you worried about a heart attack? Then you should eat right and keep your teeth clean, says researchers. The bacteria found in plaque can cause blood platelets to clump up- the first stage toward a blood clot that could cause a heart attack or stroke, University of Minnesota researchers said. Gum disease offers a good route for these bacteria to get into the blood, and several researchers have reported recently finding bacteria in the atherosclerotic plaque that clogs diseased arteries.

"We know a great deal about risk factors for atherosclerotic and heart attacks, but not the actual causes," Dr.Mark Herzberg, a professor of preventive sciences at the University of Minnesota, told the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His team took the germs found in dirty and diseased gums, including strains of streptococcus and porphyromonas bacteria, and infused them into rabbits. The blood platelets in the rabbits started to clump. The rabbits also had abnormal electrocardiograms and faster heart and breathing rates. Using a different bacterium did not have these effects.

What is different about some of the bacteria found in plaque and gum disease is a protein they produce called platelet aggregation associated protein or PAAP. This could be the key to the problem, Herzberg said. It has been proved that the same thing happens in human beings. Herzberg said he wants to test the unfortunate rabbits more to see if they suffer heart attacks when the bacteria are infused.