Your Heart Attack Risk Might Start in Your 20s — Even If You Feel Fine

Dr. Takem and Dr. Khan highlight rising heart disease in those under 50, driven by obesity and lifestyle choices. They emphasize regular check-ups and patient-provider collaboration to improve heart health and reduce risks.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Khan about a shift we’re seeing more often: heart disease showing up in younger patients. We discuss the reality that a significant portion of heart attacks happen in people under 50, and why this is becoming more common. Dr. Khan breaks down the major drivers behind the trend, especially obesity and lifestyle patterns that raise cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure over time. One of the key points we emphasize is that many of these risks can build silently. You can feel fine and still have numbers that are putting stress on your arteries for years, which is exactly why I push regular check-ups and routine labs even when you feel healthy. We also focus on prevention. We walk through practical strategies like improving diet, exercising consistently, and tracking key metrics like cholesterol and A1c so problems are caught early and addressed before they turn into an emergency. And throughout the conversation, we stress that the best outcomes happen when patients and physicians work together, with a shared plan to reduce risk long before a heart attack ever occurs.

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