Atherosclerosis can develop at an early age
Most of us don’t start worrying about atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and it’s related heart disease risks until we’re at least in our 30s. After all, it is something you develop in middle age, isn’t it?
Not so, says a recent landmark study on risk factors for heart disease. In fact, according to the study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the Bethesda, MD-based National Institutes of Health, these factors can affect the development of atherosclerosis even before age 20. In other words, it’s important to make sure our children develop and maintain healthy diet and exercise habits while they’re still young.
The study, titled "Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth," appeared in the January 1997 issue of the journal, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, and described research derived from autopsies on 1,079 men and 364 women aged 15 to 34 who died as a result of an accident, homicide, or suicide. Measurements taken included blood levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol), LDL ("bad" cholesterol), and thicyanate, a chemical marker for smoking. Coronary arteries were examined for the extent of cholesterol deposits and scar tissue.
The differences between those with good risk factor profiles and those with bad profiles were dramatic. Those with high HDL levels, low LDL levels, and no evidence of smoking did not have severe deposits in the arteries. However, those with low HDL, high LDL, and a smoking history had marked fatty streaks and deposits. The differences between these two groups appeared as early as age 15.
"These results help settle a long-standing controversy," notes NHLBI director Claude Lenfant. "We now know that the risk factors important in adulthood are just as crucial in children."
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