The REACT study, released on August 29, included 16,808 adults aged 18–70 with no known atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Participants were screened using coronary CT as well as three-dimensional ultrasound of the carotid and femoral arteries.
The results showed that 57.1% already had subclinical atherosclerosis.
Even among adults aged 18–29, approximately 1 in 13 already had evidence of atherosclerotic disease. By ages 60–70, the prevalence approached 90%.
In men, the progression of atherosclerosis appeared to occur approximately 5–10 years earlier than in women.
What is most important is that atherosclerosis does not suddenly begin in our 50s or 60s. It can already be developing silently in early adulthood and continue accumulating over decades.
Health should not be managed only after disease appears. We should establish sound health principles and sustainable lifestyle habits as early as possible, based on an understanding of human physiology.
Sources
Prevalence of Silent Atherosclerosis across Adult Life, The New England Journal of Medicine.
General information only; not a substitute for medical assessment, diagnosis or treatment.