If you think heart disease is a disease of the middle aged, think again.

Experts recommend that cholesterol screening should begin as early as 20 years of age because it is a key indicator of heart-attack risk, and should be rechecked at least once every five years.

Atherosclerosis begins early, says Dr. Anand Rohatgi, cardiologist with UT Southwestern Medical Center’s program in preventive cardiology. Even young adults and teens can show evidence of atherosclrosis, or hardening of the arteries.

If early screening reveals low levels of good cholesterol (HDL) or moderately high levels of the bad cholesterol (LDL), counseling is provided to help modify lifestyles. Those who fall into this category should be reevaluated every one or two years.

“Simple measures that can reduce cholesterol levels include decreasing the amount of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of total calories consumed each day,” Dr. Rohatgi says. “Also, increasing the amount of soluble fiber by just 5 to 10 grams daily and limiting cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams per day are helpful.”

Source
UT Southwestern Medical Center