PEOPLE in the city are more than twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease as one of London's most affluent areas, new figures reveal.
British Heart Foundation statistics show 95 out of every 100,000 people in Nottingham died from the condition between 2009 and 2011.
This is compared to 39 in Kensington and Chelsea and 49 in Westminster.
The city was placed 64th out of 404 local authorities.
It was much better than the worst – Tameside in Manchester with 132 – but significantly worse than the national average of 79.
Dr Mary Orhewere, a public health consultant for Nottingham City, said: "There are a number of ways in which this can be tackled.
"There are free health checks available for people aged between 40 and 74.
"We urge people to take advantage of these so any problems can be picked up early.
"But it is also a lifestyle thing, where people can quit smoking, eat healthily and drink less alcohol.
"We are looking to reduce poverty, improve education and improve housing."
Borough and district council areas in Notts all fared better than the city. Mansfield had 89 deaths per 100,000, Broxtowe 74 and Gedling 73.
The area of Notts where people were least likely to die from heart disease was Rushcliffe – with 62 per 100,000.
Talking to the BBC, Broxtowe MP and Health Minister Anna Soubry said: "Moving public health down to the local authorities is the right thing because they know what's best in their area. We have given more money to local authorities. We are putting over £2.7 billion into local authorities to do this work.
"It has taken decades to get where we are and it may take decades to undo the damage."
Ms Soubry acknowledged that Government can tackle public health problems but said the issues were complex.
Pressed on proposals to set a minimum price for alcohol, she said liver specialists argue for a new law because they see the damage caused by drink, but she added her Broxtowe constituents say they should not pay for other people's alcohol-related health problems.
When asked about the connection between money and health, Ms Soubry said: "You can have it and not spend it well," but she added she was "alert" to the possible impact of the recession on health.
The British Heart Foundation is a national charity which works to improve the health of people's hearts. Professor Peter Weissberg, the foundation's medical director, said: "These latest figures expose staggering inequalities in deaths from heart disease across the UK. It's unacceptable that people continue to die from heart attacks, regardless of their postcode."
