If healthy adults have higher 'bad' cholesterol levels, they’re more likely to show early signs of artery hardening, like thicker artery walls or plaque buildup in the neck arteries.

If you're under 40 and have high 'bad' cholesterol or high blood pressure, you're more likely to have buildup in the neck arteries that supply your brain — a sign that heart disease might be starting early.

About 4 out of every 10 young adults with early signs of artery clogging don't have high cholesterol or high blood pressure—so our usual heart risk checks might be missing a lot of people who already have early heart disease.

Elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels directly promote atherosclerotic plaque formation, increasing the risk of cardiovascular events.

In older adults with heart disease risk factors, how much they exercise, smoke, or their education level matters more for artery health than how much saturated fat they eat.

People with plaque in their neck arteries are much more likely to have heart disease — about 8.6 times more likely — even after accounting for age and gender.