A research was done in Britain to figure out the actual reason for heart problems and it has been stated that apart from lifestyle choices, heart disease is linked to just a few rogue genes.

Hundreds of scientists were involved in the study from across the globe and in the study, the 18 genes that raise the risk of cardiac problems, from heart attacks to hardening of the arteries, have been pinpointed.

In the UK alone, every year about 90,000 people are killed due to heart diseases and this means that across the world, on in eight deaths is due to heart problems. And this finding is believed to open doors to better treatment and ways of treating heart problems.

Heart attacks alone kill one Briton every six minutes and cost the economy £9billion a year.

Researchers hope that within 50 years, heart problems can be wiped out completely and this finding has also led to the number of known heart disease genes being doubled.

It has not been known that how many genes have an impact on the arteries and the heart but it has been known that cholesterol, blood pressure and other processes important to heart health are affected by genes.

Dr Robert Roberts, of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Canada, said, “This is a landmark result because we have identified so many genes and most operate using completely unknown mechanisms to us right now.”