Oral Bacteria May Be Indicative Of Heart Attack Risk

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The bacteria in your mouth could be linked to heart disease risk.

Research comparing oral bacteria from 386 heart attack patients with oral bacteria from 840 without finds two species of bacteria are more common among heart attack patients.

Overall, heart patients tended to have higher levels of bacteria in their mouths, but of two types: tannerella forsynthesis and prevotella intermedia. They were statistically linked to heart attack.

That isn't the only news about bacteria. Researchers are also looking at bacteria in the gut and a link to weight gain.

In fact the type of bacteria in your gut and its approximate percentage could be determined by genes.