The more bad cholesterol you have in your blood over many years, the more likely you are to get clogged arteries and heart problems.

Tiny, dense cholesterol particles stick around longer in the blood and slip more easily into artery walls, where they get damaged and trigger inflammation that leads to clogged arteries.

The longer and more your arteries are exposed to bad cholesterol (LDL), the more likely you are to develop heart disease because that cholesterol builds up over time and can lead to heart attacks or strokes.

The longer your body is exposed to LDL cholesterol — even at pretty low levels like 60 — the higher your risk for heart disease, because plaque can start building up in your arteries without you knowing it.

Having high levels of 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) over your lifetime causes buildup in your arteries, which increases your risk of heart disease — the more LDL and the longer you have it, the higher your risk.

When you have too much 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) in your blood, it sticks to the walls of your arteries and builds up like gunk, making them narrow and stiff — which raises your chance of having a heart attack or stroke.