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 MEN'S HEART DISEASE: RISKS INCREASE AROUND AGE 35




Most guys don’t start thinking about heart disease until they’re well into their forties or fifties—if ever. But new research from Northwestern University is sounding the alarm: for men, the risk of heart disease starts climbing much earlier, with a sharp uptick beginning around age 35. That’s years before most men set foot in a doctor’s office for a heart health screening.

A decades-long study following thousands of adults found that men reach a 5% risk of cardiovascular disease about seven years earlier than women. The main culprit? Coronary heart disease is the same condition behind most heart attacks. By their mid-30s, men’s risk starts to pull ahead of women’s and continues to rise through middle age. And here’s the kicker: this early surge isn’t explained by smoking, high blood pressure, or diabetes alone. There’s something else at play—likely a mix of biology and lifestyle.

So why does this gap stubbornly persist, even as men's and women’s rates of smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes have grown more similar? The study’s lead author, Dr. Alexa Freedman, says it’s time to look beyond the usual suspects, such as cholesterol and blood pressure. There are deeper forces—genetics, hormones, social factors—that might be driving men’s earlier heart risk, and we’re only beginning to scratch the surface.

The research comes from the long-running CARDIA study, which has tracked over 5,100 adults since the 1980s. Because everyone started healthy, researchers could pinpoint when the risk began to diverge. Men hit a 2% rate of coronary heart disease more than a decade before women. Rates of stroke were pretty similar, and heart failure tended to show up later for both sexes.

What’s clear is that age 35 is a tipping point. Until then, men and women are neck and neck. After 35, men’s heart risk accelerates—and most men have no idea it’s happening. Traditional risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol only tell part of the story. There’s a window in early adulthood, especially for men, where prevention could make a huge difference.

Yet, men in their 20s and 30s are far less likely than women to get routine checkups—often because women are seeing doctors regularly for reproductive health. That means many opportunities for early detection and prevention are slipping through the cracks.

Here’s the bottom line: Don’t wait for a health scare or a milestone birthday. If you’re a man in your 30s (or you care about one), now is the time to get proactive. Start a conversation with your doctor about heart health—even if you feel perfectly fine. Simple screenings, lifestyle tweaks, and keeping tabs on your risk factors can set you up for decades of better health.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women. Taking action early isn’t just smart—it’s essential. 

The complete study, “Sex Differences in Age of Onset of Premature Cardiovascular Disease and Subtypes: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study,” was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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