61% of Gen Xs and 43% of Millennials have high cholesterol. It's worse than we feared says expert

PUTNEY, U.K. - Nov. 9, 2023 - PRLog -- London Medical Laboratory released new analysis last month revealing that over half of Brits (54%) have high cholesterol. Further analysis of the latest research reveals a staggering 61% of Generation Xs (currently 42-58-year-olds) and 43% of Millennials (currently 27-42-year-olds) are at risk of blocked arteries.

Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: 'Historically, it's always been older people who were believed to have high cholesterol, with levels peaking in their 60s and 70s. Thanks to Our Future Health's major new research programme, we now know that millions of far younger people are most at risk.

'High cholesterol is a major underlying cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death worldwide, often leading to heart attacks and strokes. In England, high cholesterol leads to over 7% of all deaths.

'It's likely that fast foods and home food deliveries are playing a big role in pushing up LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels among Gen Xs and Millennials. These age groups have been brought up in the era of microwave meals and Deliveroo food deliveries. Older Brits, in contrast, are less in the habit of ordering super-fast foods high in saturated fats, which means their cholesterol levels are proportionately lower than many younger age groups. Only 39% of over-80s have high cholesterol, as opposed to 57% of 40-somethings. That's a shocking reversal of historical trends.

Here's the full results showing the prevalence of high cholesterol by age:

• 20-29: 27%
• 30-39: 43%
• 40-49: 57%
• 50-59: 67%
• 60-69: 63%
• 70-79: 48%
• 80 and over: 39%

'Clearly, there is an urgent need for increased cholesterol level testing to rapidly identify who is at risk, across all age groups. London Medical Laboratory's home finger-prick Cholesterol Profile test measures total cholesterol, LDL "bad cholesterol", HDL "good" cholesterol, non-HDL (a newly adopted, more accurate, measure) and other key markers. It can be taken at home through the post, or at one of the many drop-in clinics that offer these tests across London and nationwide in over 95 selected pharmacies and health stores. For full details, see: https://www.londonmedicallaboratory.com/product/cholesterol-profile