One of the world's widest studies into heart attacks has identified nine risk factors that account for nine out of 10 of all cardiac arrests, with cholesterol, smoking and stress topping the table.

People who have high lipid concentrations in the blood or who smoke account for roughly 60 per cent of all heart attacks, according to the study published online on Friday by medical weekly The Lance. 

Someone with high blood cholesterol faces a 3.25 per cent higher risk of a heart attack than someone with normal levels; someone who smokes has a 2.9 per cent higher risk than a person who has never smoked. 

The analysis, called the Interheart study, covered 15,000 cases of heart attack in 52 countries and matched these individuals against 15,000 healthy people who had a similar age, sex and location. 

The third biggest risk factor was stress, which accounted for more than a fifth of all heart attacks. This was followed by diabetes, a family history of high blood pressure, and abdominal obesity. 

The three other factors that determine risk are daily consumption of fruit and vegetables; regular physical exercise; and moderate alcohol consumption, defined as moderate alcohol intake three times a week.

Summary
Smoking, Stress Top Global List of Heart-Stoppers (September 3, 2004)
Cholesterol, smoking, and stress are the top three factors that might stop your heart! One of the world's widest studies identified nine risk factors on heart attack. The analysis, called the Interheart study, examined 15,000 cases of heart attack in 52 countries, and compared with 15,000 healthy people who had a similar age, sex, and location. The other factors that associate with hart attack are diabetes, a family history of high blood pressure, and abdominal obesity.