Atherosclerosis May Begin in Young Adulthood, Affecting Over Half of Adults by Age 70

New research published in The New England Journal of Medicine indicates that silent atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in arteries, can begin much earlier than previously thought, with signs detectable in about 1 in 13 adults aged 18 to 29. The study of 16,808 adults found that over half of participants aged 18 to 70 had signs of atherosclerosis, highlighting the importance of cardiovascular health attention before symptoms develop.