Lowering cholesterol levels should be thought about much earlier in life than you might think, according to researchers.

A study has found that exposure to high or fluctuating cholesterol early in life could heighten the risk of developing a condition which can lead to heart disease and strokes.

Atherosclerosis is the narrowing of the arteries due to a build-up of fatty deposits which can be caused by high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking.

Younger people can be affected by atherosclerosisis

The NHS says people who are 65 or above are more likely to develop atherosclerosis but a study led by scientists from the University of Cambridge and published in Nature found the risk of atherosclerosisis can begin much earlier.

It suggested that fluctuating cholesterol levels are potentially increasing this risk.

What is high cholesterol?

The team experimented with mice, feeding two groups a cholesterol-rich diet - either intermittently or continuously.

Ziad Mallat, a British Heart Foundation (BHF) professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Cambridge, said: “When I asked my group and a number of people who are experts in atherosclerosis, no one could tell me what the result would be.

“Some people thought it would make no difference, others thought it would change the risk.

“In fact, what we found was that an intermittent high fat diet starting while the mice were still young – one week on, a few weeks off, another week on, and so on – was the worst option in terms of atherosclerosis risk.”

Fluctuation may be dangerous because of the way it impacts immune cells known as resident arterial macrophages which alter in the early stages of atherosclerosis.

Intermittent high cholesterol might prevent these cells from becoming protective and can instead accelerate the disease, the study suggests.

Researchers also analysed data from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study - a long-term study tracking heart risks from childhood to adulthood.

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In the 1980s, the study saw more than 2,000 people get ultrasounds of their carotid arteries when they were aged around 30 and again at around 50.

Those who had been exposed to high cholesterol levels as children were more likely to have the biggest build-up of plaque in the arteries, the team’s analysis found.

Prof Mallat added: “What this means is that we shouldn’t leave it until later in life before we start to look at our cholesterol levels.

“Atherosclerosis can potentially be prevented by lowering cholesterol levels, but we clearly need to start thinking about this much earlier on in life than we previously thought.”

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Prof Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the BHF, said: “Someone is admitted to hospital with a heart attack or stroke every three minutes in the UK. In most cases this is caused by atherosclerosis, the build-up of fatty material inside the arteries.

“This exciting new study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, provides new insights into the biological processes behind the development of blood vessel disease.

“Importantly, the study suggests that surges in cholesterol, not just consistently high levels, can cause changes in the blood vessels, priming them for the development of atherosclerosis.

“With this process starting early in life, these findings reinforce the importance of keeping cholesterol levels under control from an early age to better prevent heart disease and strokes later in life.”