According to a new study, the number of deaths linked to heart attacks has halved since 2002 and part of the reason is that people's hearts are getting stronger.

People in the country are suffering fewer heart attacks than earlier and fewer of them are fatal. Factors such as avoiding smoking, eating a healthy diet, cutting cholesterol and lowering blood pressure not only reduces the risks of heart attacks but also ensures that if they occur they are not life threatening.

The researches from the Oxford University's Department of Public Health also warned that the progress might halt as ore young people are obese or have diabetes. The researchers found that the death rate from heart attacks fell by 50 per cent in men and 53 per cent in women between 2002 and 2010. The researchers also found that the occurrence of heart attacks fell by 33 per cent in men and 31 per cent in women during the period.

They looked into data from 840,000 victims to determine if the fall was due to changes in lifestyle or due to medical treatment after the heart attacks. The researchers concluded that lifestyle changes and medical treatment played an equal part in reducing the number of deaths from heart attacks.

Professor Michael Goldacre, one of the study's authors said, "A big decline in smoking, people eating healthier fats, lower levels of blood pressure and more statins all helped, while there were big gains in treatment." The study has been published in the British Medical Journal.