Living near fast food joints and bars could up risk of heart failure

While anyone who wants to stay fit knows to go easy on the booze and fries, it turns out keeping such temptations at a literal distance is key to a healthy heart.

Living within a 15 minute walk of pubs and fast food outlets is associated with a greater risk of heart failure, going by health data covering half a million people in Britain.

"Compared with those with no exposure to composite ready-to-eat food environments, participants in the highest density score category had a 16 percent higher risk of [heart failure]," the US-based researchers said, after assessing information from the UK Biobank.