Assembling Evidence to Justify Prevention of Atherosclerosis Beginning in Youth

A therosclerosis begins in youth when the earliest lesions, fatty streaks, can be identified in the arterial beds of most adolescents.Rapid progression of these early lesions to fibrous plaques occurs in the third and fourth decades of life, with the rate of progression directly associated with the number of cardiovascular risk factors.1,2 The presence of atherosclerosis early in life, its relationship at a young age to the major cardiovascular risk factors, and its steady progression toward cardiovascular events later in life have suggested to many that the optimal age to begin atherosclerosis prevention is as young as possible.