No common gene differences found in this group of older adults make them more or less sensitive to the effects of eating saturated fat on their artery thickness.

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.

Eating a lot of fatty foods like butter and red meat doesn't seem to make the arteries thicken more in older adults at risk for heart disease, once you account for how much they exercise, smoke, or their education level.

Even though belly fat is often blamed for heart problems, in young, active adults, it doesn’t seem to directly affect artery thickness — fitness and triglycerides matter more.

Whether young adults are normal weight or overweight, better fitness is just as strongly linked to thinner artery walls — meaning being fit helps your arteries even if you carry extra weight.

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.