Alcohol consumption and obesity are among the top causes of sudden cardiac death that is not caused by coronary artery disease, according to new research.

Most heart disease is related to a buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries. This study looked at deaths from heart disease not caused by coronary artery disease, or nonischemic causes of sudden heart death. Nonischemic heart disease is usually linked to a disease in one or more of the heart muscles, which causes the heart to pump ineffectively, reducing the transport of blood and oxygen throughout the body.

HealthDay reports the study found 78 percent of heart deaths were due to coronary artery disease. Of the 22 percent of deaths not related to coronary artery disease, alcohol consumption and obesity were common causes.

The findings come from a study of almost 2,700 people in Finland who died of sudden cardiac death. They are published in the journal HeartRhythm.