Back in the early 1900s to the 1960s, more people died of heart disease, and that was linked to people smoking more and eating foods that made their blood cholesterol go up — and doctors found clogged arteries in people’s hearts after they died.

Back in the early 1900s to the 1960s, more people died of heart disease, and that was probably because they started smoking more and eating foods that made their blood cholesterol go up.

Back in the early to mid-1900s, more people died of heart disease, and experts think this was because people started smoking more and eating foods that raised the bad cholesterol in their blood.

After the 1960s, fewer people died from heart disease, and this was likely because better health habits and medical care helped stop plaque from building up in arteries and kept early blockages from getting worse.

After the 1960s, fewer people died from heart disease because better health habits and medical care helped keep arteries from getting clogged and stopped mild blockages from turning into serious ones.

After the mid-1960s, fewer people died from heart disease because fewer had heart attacks, and those who did were less likely to die — even before getting to the hospital.