Fathers with a common genetic variant can pass an increased risk of heart disease onto their sons, a study has shown.

The danger lies in a particular version of the male Y chromosome which is only present in men.

Scientists found that a version of the chromosome carried by 15 per cent to 20 per cent of British men was linked to a 50 per cent higher chance of coronary artery disease, which can lead to heart attacks.

The effect was independent of traditional heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

CAD, also known as coronary heart disease, narrows blood vessels and typically affects men 10 years earlier than women.

The disease reduces the delivery of oxygenated blood to heart muscle, resulting in angina chest pains and heart attacks which kill 50,000 men each year in the UK alone.