How Lifelong Cholesterol Levels Can Harm or Help Your Heart - The New York Times

The longer you have high levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, the greater your risk of a heart attack.

LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease.

The researchers found that the longer a person had high levels of LDL — no matter what their LDL level is in young adulthood or middle age — the greater the risk for coronary heart disease.

In people under 40, current guidelines recommend treatment with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs only with LDL readings higher than 190, but the researchers found that the increased risk for coronary heart disease may start at a much lower level.

Tamara Horwich, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in the study, noted that medical guidelines on choosing who needs statin therapy are heavily weighted toward older people, since advancing age is a major risk factor for complications from heart disease.