Strong local ties ‘aid heart health’

People with good neighbours and strong community ties are less likely to suffer heart attacks, new research suggests.

Researchers tracked the health of more than 5,000 American adults over the age of 50 with no known heart problems over four years from 2006.

At the start of the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the participants were asked to describe how much they were part of their neighbourhood.