Cholesterol problem for young adults
Tuesday January 27th, 2015
Failing to tackle high cholesterol levels in young adults may leave them with a legacy of heart problems, researchers warned last night.
A
new study suggests that people with high cholesterol levels in their 30s
face an increased risk of heart disease throughout their lifetime.
The research suggests that screening adults in their 50s and reducing cholesterol levels may be leaving it too late.
According to the report in the journal Circulation, having high cholesterol levels for just ten years after the age of 35 increases the risk of heart disease by nearly 40%.
The findings come from a new analysis of the US Framingham Heart Study, which began in 1948.
Researchers studied nearly 1,500 adults free of heart disease at the age of 55 and with cholesterol measurements going back to their 30s.
They found that those with no more than ten years of high cholesterol had an 8.1% risk of developing heart disease by the age of 75. This compared with a 4.4% risk for those without high cholesterol levels at the age of 35 and a 16.5% risk for those with more than a decade of high cholesterol.
Researcher Dr Ann Marie Navar-Boggan, of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA, said: “It’s never too soon for young adults to talk with their doctors about heart health, which should include how to manage cholesterol levels through diet and exercise, and, in certain cases, medication.
“The plaques in arteries that break off and cause heart attacks later in life take years to develop."
Doireann Maddock, of the British Heart Foundation, said: “This study suggests that even slightly high cholesterol levels in otherwise healthy adults between the ages of 35 and 55 can have a long term impact on heart health.
“It’s never too early to start thinking about your heart health."
Ann Navar-Boggan et al. Hyperlipidemia in Young Adulthood Increases Long-Term Risk of Coronary Heart Disease. Circulation 26 January 2015; CIRCULATIONAHA/2014/012477R2
Tags: Diet & Food | Fitness | Heart Health | North America | UK News
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