This, combined with poor diet, means it's no surprise that coronary heart disease is now the most common cause of premature death in the UK among those over 50's.

What is coronary heart disease?

The coronary arteries are the ones that supply the tissues of the heart with blood. Coronary heart or artery disease describes the situation when the heart muscle stops working well because there are problems with its supply of blood and oxygen. This is also known as ischaemic heart disease.

What causes it?

The main cause of coronary heart disease is blockages in the arteries due to a sludgey build-up of sticky cholesterol, old muscle cells and clumps of blood platelets. This is called atherosclerosis.

The inside of our arteries are smooth - so that blood can flow quickly and easily. When atherosclerotic 'plaques' build up there is less space for blood to flow and the stickiness makes blood more likely to clot. The plaques also prevent nutrients in the blood being delivered to the wall of the artery, which makes the wall less elastic and helps to cause high blood pressure.