Even in healthy middle-aged Americans with no calcium in their heart arteries, higher 'bad' cholesterol levels are linked to more plaque buildup in the heart's blood vessels.

Middle-aged Americans who feel fine but have high 'bad' cholesterol are more likely to have hidden heart artery plaque, especially if they already show signs of artery calcification — and those with very high cholesterol have the worst kinds of plaque.

Even if a heart scan shows no calcium buildup, nearly 3 in 10 middle-aged people with high 'bad' cholesterol still have soft plaque in their arteries — meaning the usual heart risk test might miss early warning signs.

If a middle-aged person has very high 'bad' cholesterol but feels fine, they’re more than 2.6 times as likely to have early signs of heart artery buildup — even if everything else about their health is accounted for.

Even if someone has very high 'bad' cholesterol, more than half of middle-aged people with no symptoms still show no signs of heart artery buildup — meaning their bodies might be naturally protecting them.

Even if middle-aged Americans seem healthy and have low heart disease risk, over 30% still have hidden plaque in their arteries — and most of them have a heart scan score of zero, meaning standard checkups might miss early warning signs.