According to new research, healthy people may be at risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease if they have higher levels of bad cholesterol.
Image source: cardiosmart.org
Poor cholesterol, or LDL, contributes to arterial blockage, which increases the risk of a heart attack and stroke.
The results showed that compared to those with LDL readings below 100 mg / dL, those with LDL levels of 100-159 mg / dL had a higher risk of death by 30-40% cardiovascular disease
Those who have LDL levels of 160 mg / dL or more have a 70-90% higher risk of cardiovascular death, compared with participants who have LDL readings less than 100 mg / dL.
"Our study shows that a low risk of cardiovascular disease in 10 years does not eliminate the risk of high-density lipoprotein (LDE) over life," said lead researcher Shoaib Abdullah of the University of Texas, USA. UU.
"The higher cholesterol levels in younger ages means there will be a greater burden of cardiovascular disease as these individuals age," said Robert Eckel of the University of Colorado, USA. UU.
The study, published in the journal Circulation, included 36,375 young and relatively healthy participants who did not have diabetes or cardiovascular disease and were followed for 27 years.
Among the group (72% of men with an average age of 42 years), there were 1,086 deaths from cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and 598 deaths due to coronary heart disease.
"People at low risk should implement lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise, to achieve as low levels of LDL as possible, preferably less than 100 mg / dL.