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...

Keeping your 'bad' cholesterol low for a long time helps slow down the buildup of gunk in your arteries and lowers your chances of having heart attacks or strokes later in life.

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.

The longer and higher your 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) is, the greater your chance of heart disease — and starting with high levels when young makes it even riskier over time.

Chronic exposure to elevated LDL particles is causally associated with increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease through endothelial infiltration and initiation of arterial inflammation.

If you're a middle-aged person with symptoms, having higher 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) means you're more likely to have heart problems over the next four years — but only if scans show you already have plaque in your heart arteries.