Having even mildly raised cholesterol levels can significantly increase the risk of heart disease in later life, scientists today warned.
Long-term damage to the arteries starts in your 30s and 40s, they claim.
And for every ten years of increased cholesterol between the ages of 35 and 55, the heart disease risk goes up by up to 40 per cent, according to a new US study.
Scientists looked at data from the Framingham Heart Study, which began in 1948 and is one of the largest ongoing research projects focused on heart health.
For every ten years of increased cholesterol between the ages of 35 and 55, the risk of heart disease increases by 39 per cent, suggesting the cumulative effects of even mildly raised levels can pose a significant risk to heart health
They examined 1,478 55-year-olds who were free of cardiovascular disease, and calculated the length of time each participant had experienced high cholesterol by that age.
The volunteers were then followed for up to 20 years to see how having high cholesterol for long periods of time affected their risk of heart disease.
In the study, overall cholesterol levels of 160mg/dL – 4 millimoles per litre using UK measurements – or higher were considered raised.
For LDL, or ‘bad’ cholesterol, 130mg/dL – or 3.3mmol/L – or higher was the cut off point.
At age 55, 389 people had experienced one to 10 years of elevated cholesterol, 577 had 11 to 20 years and 512 did not have high cholesterol.
They found that those with 11 to 20 years of high cholesterol had a 16.5 per cent overall risk of heart disease, while those with one to 10 years of cholesterol exposure had 8.1 per cent risk.
Those without high cholesterol had only a 4.4 per cent risk.
This means that each decade of high cholesterol raised the risk of heart disease by 39 per cent, suggesting the cumulative effects of even mildly raised levels can pose a significant risk to heart health.
The study, published in American Heart Association journal Circulation, also suggested that anti-cholesterol drugs such as statins should be used at younger ages for those most at risk.
Under current guidelines, only one in six of the adults in the study with prolonged high cholesterol would have been recommended for statin therapy at age 40, and one in three at age 50.
Around half of UK adults have a cholesterol score above 5mmol/L, according to NHS Choices.
Lead author Dr Ann Marie Navar-Boggan, of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, said: ‘Our findings suggest that adults with longstanding mild to moderately elevated cholesterol levels may benefit from more aggressive prevention strategies earlier.
‘What is happening in your blood vessels, in particular your cholesterol levels, during your 30s and 40s affects your heart health in your 50s, 60s and 70s.’
She added that it was surprising that the effect was more pronounced among adults who are otherwise healthy.
She said: ‘Even if you control everything else – you don’t smoke, your blood pressure and weight are normal, and you don’t have diabetes – having elevated cholesterol over many years can still cause problems in the long run.’
The researchers suggested that statins - anti-cholesterol drugs - should be taken by younger people most at risk of high cholesterol
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2927080/Even-slightly-raised-cholesterol-levels-middle-age-increase-risk-heart-disease-40.html#ixzz3Q321P27t
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