So, the risk factors for heart disease are in two groups. The ones you can change, and the ones you can’t. So the main ones you can change are cholesterol, cigarette smoking, diabetes, or the control of diabetes, and high blood pressure. And the main ones you can’t change are age, and gender, and your genetic background.

Professor David Celermajer is Scandrett Professor of Cardiology and Head of Cardiology at the University of Sydney.