This Disease Can Sneak Up on You in Your 30s

A new study out of Northwestern Medicine found that the risk of heart disease starts around age 35 for men. Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of U.S. deaths.

“That timing may seem early, but heart disease develops over decades, with early markers detectable in young adulthood,” said study senior author Alexa Freedman, assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in a news release.

“Screening at an earlier age can help identify risk factors sooner, enabling preventive strategies that reduce long-term risk.”

Earlier risks are attributed to smoking, having high blood pressure, and diabetes. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers analyzed data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, which enrolled 5,100 men, and found that around age 35, men’s risk began to increase. Heart disease screening and prevention efforts tend to focus on the over-40 crowd, and this research suggests that screening should start earlier. In addition to known risks listed above, doctors are also looking at health factors like kidney health as a factor for heart disease risk.

The American Heart Association created its Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Events (PREVENT) calculator that doctors and patients can access online to assess the risk of cardiovascular issues in the next decade or longer.

“One of the important things in the development of the PREVENT model was the ability to leverage available data from research-based cohorts as well as electronic medical record date the spanned over 6 million U.S. adults over the last two decades,” said Sadiya S Khan, MD, MSc, professor of cardiovascular epidemiology and Associate Professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine, in a video the the American Heart Association website.

Reducing Risk of Heart Disease

Heart disease is not an inevitable part of aging, and there are things you can do to reduce your risk, according to Mayo Clinic.

• Prioritize sleep
• Manage stress
• Quit any tobacco product
• Go to annual healthcare appointments
• Find out what your cholesterol levels are
• Manage blood pressure if it is high
• Exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes each day
• Eat a heart-healthy diet with plenty of fruits, veggies, and lean meat