Speaking to Today presenter John Humphrys, epidemiologist Professor Sir Michael Marmot explained that, while heart disease rates have come down, the gap between rich and poor "has not narrowed".

BBC: Why is heart disease 'more likely if poor'?

Part of the evidence for that theory comes from the Whitehall study, a giant 20-year study of British civil servants conducted by Sir Michael Marmot of University College, London.

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