Young adults with a genetic cholesterol problem are more likely to have heart artery plaque than their peers without it — more than half of them do, compared to about one in five others.

People with a genetic condition that gives them high cholesterol are much more likely to have a heart attack or stroke within 10 years if they also have metabolic syndrome — even if their cholesterol is being managed.

People with this inherited high-cholesterol condition who also have metabolic syndrome are almost five times more likely to die from any cause over the next 30 years.

People with a genetic cholesterol problem (FH) who've had more cholesterol buildup over their lives are much more likely to have plaque in their heart arteries — about 3.6 times more likely — compared to those with less cholesterol exposure.

In healthy-looking middle-aged Americans with low heart disease risk, higher 'bad' cholesterol is linked to more buildup in heart arteries — and the more cholesterol, the more common these buildups are.

If young adults with a genetic form of high cholesterol have been exposed to high LDL levels for longer, they tend to have twice as much plaque buildup in their arteries for every 75 units of exposure over time — meaning long-term cholesterol exposure might silently damage their heart vessels.