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Start Early For A Healthy Heart

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine recommends keeping the cholesterol levels low in youth for a healthy life later. The study was carried out for 20 years and involved 3258 populace of 18-30 years old. The overall effect of even slightly higher cholesterol levels increases the risk of heart problems by the age of 45. Therefore, even the youth are supposed to be careful about their cholesterol levels.

The main reason for heart disease in older people is bad cholesterol or LDL. If the LDL level is high for a period of 20 years, calcium starts mounting up in the coronary arteries, an indication of risk of heart diseases. The overexposure to LDL during young age causes damages that grow bigger by age.

The findings reveal that the rise of fat deposits’ levels in arteries, beginning in youth or even childhood, leads to strokes and heart attacks. Hence, the prevention strategies against heart diseases need to be started at an early age.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and lead by Mark Pletcher, an epidemiologist at University of California, San Francisco. The team of researchers studied the results of 7 cholesterol tests over a period of 2 decades and the average was considered as the actual impact. Individuals of 45 years age were image tested to determine the calcium levels in arteries.

The study emphasizes the need of regular exercise and maintaining balanced diet to regulate cholesterol levels as heart diseases are in fact mainly due to unhealthy lifestyle. Though, drugs like ‘statins’ are used for lowering cholesterol levels in elder patients, its effects on people aged 30-40 years is not known clearly and hence can’t be recommended for the youth.

The facts in the study are suggestive of a more aggressive approach towards controlling the cholesterol levels in blood at an early age and changing lifestyle as early as childhood to avoid a weak heart later in life. Healthy lifestyle and regular exercise combined with healthy diet from childhood is the key for a healthy heart.

Source:

Internal Medicine

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