MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) — Heart disease remains a leading cause of death in the United States, with more than 900,000 people dying from it in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association is shedding light on men’s heart health, revealing that men are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease years earlier than women.
“So men actually are 10 years ahead in terms of disease progression and the onset of disease,” said Dr. Garima Handa, an interventional cardiologist at Mercy Medical Center in Merced.
The long-term study followed more than 5,000 people and found higher rates of coronary heart disease and heart failure in men compared with women. Researchers identified around age 35 as a key turning point.
“It’s not that magically something happens at age 35 and you start developing heart disease,” Handa said. “I think the risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, obesity. Those have to be culminating for about a decade at least before it manifests into disease.”
While the study did not examine Central California specifically, Handa said she has seen younger patients in the region already living with serious heart problems.
“I think the biggest reason why that is, is because of the drug use, methamphetamine use in the valley,” Handa said. “I see a lot of young patients in their 30s, 40s, men mostly come in with heart failure and that’s the biggest culprit.”
Health experts say tracking heart health early in life can make a difference.
“I know we think in our 20’s we can do all the things and we think we’re invincible, but that’s not really true because that’s when the heart disease really begins,” Handa said.
Doctors recommend regular checkups with a physician, along with good sleep habits, understanding personal risk factors and avoiding smoking as ways to reduce the risk of heart disease and improve long-term health.
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