ENGLISH people who are living in Scotland are much less likely to die from heart disease than those born here.

A new study published today reveals people born in other parts of the UK, who move to Scotland, are 20% less likely to die from heart problems.

The research, by a group from the University of Edinburgh, could not pinpoint the precise reason for the difference.

However, scientists suspect it is because many who move are well-off professionals.

Lead author of the study, Dr Colin Fischbacher, said this would make them less likely to develop bad habits associated with heart disease.

But Dr Fischbacher, a consultant in public health medicine for NHS National Services Scotland, added: "Scots seem to have worse rates of heart disease than even our bad lifestyles would explain.

"Whatever the reason, the English moving to Scotland seem to escape it."

Today's results, published in the Scottish Medical Journal, showed English men living in Scotland had a 22% lower death rate from heart disease than Scottish-born men.

For English women in Scotland, the rate was 20% lower.

The study also discovered Scots of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Chinese origin were as likely to suffer heart disease as the general Scottish population.