Research carried out at the university has discovered a potentially significant link between markers in the blood and electrical functions of the heart.
The study could mean that ECG (electrocardiograph) tests could replace blood tests as a quick and cost-effective tool to predict future cardiovascular risk.
A study of healthy pre-menopausal women found that a particular marker on ECG tests, used to monitor the functioning of the heart, corresponded directly to levels of a particular substance in the individual's blood.
This substance is known to be an indicator for the likelihood of developing serious conditions in the future, including heart disease and type two diabetes.
The findings have now been published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
If the study can be widened out and the same link substantiated in other parts of the population, this could signal a breakthrough in the way we detect and try to prevent these future health issues.
Dr Allain Bueno, principal lecturer in human biology and human nutrition, who led the study, said: "Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in this country, nothing kills more men than heart disease and it's the second leading cause of death for women.
"These diseases may occur later in life, but, if we can find ways to prevent them from happening in the first place, people will live longer, better, and healthier lives."
In the study, researchers found the two measures directly corresponded - so when the levels of DHA detected in the blood were higher, the QRS measure was found to be lower - and vice versa.
Dr Bueno said: "It is crucial to expand our research to confirm our findings in other populations, including men, the elderly, and those at risk of, or already suffering from, heart disease.
"If the association we have identified in healthy women can be replicated in other groups and in large clinical trials, ECG could potentially be used as a quick and cost-effective tool to predict future cardiovascular risk.
"This could have significant implications for NHS healthcare strategy nationwide, but this is the very beginning of a long journey."