IF you assumed it was mainly overweight, over-stressed middle-aged men who were most at risk of heart attacks, think again.

In the UK almost 600 sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and friends lose their lives every day to heart and circulatory disease, with someone having a heart attack every two minutes.

June Davison, cardiac nurse with the British Heart Foundation says: "Heart disease is the most common cause of death in the UK, and the stereotype that it mainly affects middle-aged men is wrong.

"Heart disease can affect anyone. For instance, four times more women die from heart and circulatory disease than from breast cancer, and the age of people affected by it is likely to become younger with the increase in obesity and diabetes, the two major factors that increase the risk of heart problems."

The BHF's Help A Heart campaign this summer aims, through voluntary fundraising and events, to raise £1.5 million for heart research.

Davison points out that one in three people fail to recognise the signs of a heart attack, delaying an average of 90 minutes before calling an ambulance, and so die before they get to hospital.

"We want people to become more aware of heart health and symptoms so they avoid a heart attack in the first place. After a heart attack people can suffer life-long debilitation because their heart muscle has been permanently damaged.

"Although treatment is improving all the time, and death rates are dropping, more and more people are having to live with heart and circulatory problems which could be avoided through making simple lifestyle changes."

Check out your heart health with our guide.

WHO'S AT RISK?

In general, heart attacks are more common in elderly people, and up to the age of 50 more common in men than women. It is thought that women may have a hormonal protection before the menopause which reduces their risk of heart attack.

In 2004 105,000 people died of coronary heart disease, 58,000 men and 47,000 women.

But heart disease is no respector of age. TV sports presenter Gabby Logan lost her 15-year-old brother to heart disease. She supports the BHF campaign and says: "I'd give anything to get my brother back. He was so young and full of life, which shows that heart disease can affect anyone."

WHAT IS A HEART ATTACK?

A heart attack happens when a coronary artery carrying oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle is blocked. If the blood supply is cut off, a part of the heart muscle dies.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Symptoms can come on suddenly, but sometimes the pain develops more slowly. It can sometimes feel like severe indigestion.

Most heart attacks cause extreme pain in the centre of the chest. It's often described as heaviness, squeezing or crushing and may come on suddenly, causing a person to collapse.

The pain can also be a dull chest pain that may spread to the arms, neck, jaw, face, back or stomach. The person may be pale, sweaty and breathless, and possibly suffering nausea or vomiting.

Women especially can experience other symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, weakness, sweating and fainting with or without chest pain during an attack.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Emergency medical treatment is vital. You should call 999 for urgent medical attention if you have the symptoms - delay can kill. Yet four out of 10 people prefer to wait and see' if the pain gets better, and around 64 per cent would call someone else first, like a friend for advice, according to the British Heart Foundation.

Professor Peter Weissberg, BHF medical director, points out: "Every second counts when you are having a heart attack. The quicker you call 999 the greater your chances of survival. Unfortunately, too many people waste vital minutes questioning their symptoms.

"Central chest pain is the most common warning of a heart attack, but it does not have to be excruciating to be a serious problem."

PREVENTION: CHOLESTEROL Cut down on saturated fats in your diet to help lower your blood cholesterol. Avoid sausages, burgers, biscuits, cakes, pastries and dairy products, which can lead to fatty deposits in your coronary arteries. "Get your cholesterol level checked and if it's high be aware that saturated fats are hidden in foods like pastries, pies and biscuits," Davison advises.

DIET Eat more healthy food like fresh fruit and vegetables, oily fish, lean meat, wholegrain bread and cereals - this can help look after your arteries and your heart.

EXERCISE People who are active halve their risk of getting heart disease. Taking half an hour of moderate exercise a day (around 1,000 steps) will help. "At first split it into three 10-minute sessions if that makes it easier and either walk, swim or cycle. You just need to raise your heart rate comfortably, it does not have to be a strenuous gym workout," Davison says.

SMOKING If you are a smoker, you're twice as likely to have a heart attack so give up now. From the moment you stop smoking the risk of a heart attack starts to reduce.

ALCOHOL Check your alcohol intake: binge drinking increases your risk of a heart attack. One to two units a day is acceptable. The daily maximum is three to four units for men, and two to three for women.

WEIGHT Statistics now show that around half the population is overweight, and obesity greatly increases your risk of heart problems.

Find out if you are obese and talk to your doctor about moderating your diet and starting an exercise programme.

SALT Cut down on salt, because too much can lead to high blood pressure. Davison says: "Around 75 per cent of salt intake comes from processed foods and others such as sausages and bacon. Check food labels - as a guide 1.2g of salt per 100 is high, while 0.25g or less is low."

FAMILY TREE Get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked by your GP, especially if you have a family history of coronary heart disease or diabetes.

STRESS Learn to manage stress levels. "If things get on top of you, you may fail to eat properly, smoke and drink too much and so increase your risk of a heart attack," Davison says.

4 For further information about keeping your heart healthy, or on supporting the campaign, visit www.bhf.org.uk or call 0845 241 0976.

4 Use an inspiring cookery book, Healthy Heart Cookbook (Bonnier, £12.99), which is packed with tips and recipes so you can tastily lose weight and lower cholesterol. Call: 01235 465 535/www.marston.co.uk