Teenage boys who suffer from acne may be less likely to suffer from heart disease later in life than their clear skinned peers, according to a report in the New Scientist.

Bruna Galobardes from the University of Bristol in Britain and his colleagues looked at health data relating to students who attended Glasgow University between 1948 and 1968.

The researchers conducted a study of 10,000 men and found a very strong correlation between acne in youth and coronary protection later in life, the report said.

The researchers believe that the androgens responsible for bringing on acne may have a protective effect on the heart. The young adults who reported they had or were suffering from acne were 33 percent less likely to die from coronary heart disease.

However, New Scientist also quoted Galobardes as saying that the "results showed a 70 percent increase in prostate cancer risk but the results are not statistically conclusive".