A fresh investigation reveals that males generally exhibit a heightened likelihood of developing heart-related ailments post 35 years compared to females.(Image credit: Tom Werner/Getty Images)
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According to a recent study, men show a propensity to develop heart and blood vessel conditions approximately seven years earlier than women.
This disparity is largely attributed to coronary artery disease, triggered by plaque accumulation in the heart’s arteries. It manifests about a decade sooner in males compared to females.
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The recent investigation, which was reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association on January 28, utilized data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. This study monitored in excess of 5,000 Black and white individuals from across the United States for longer than 30 years.
The analysts discovered that the likelihood of heart and blood vessel disease in men and women begins to vary around the age of 35. From that juncture extending into middle age, males routinely exhibited a higher probability of acquiring heart and blood vessel disease compared to females. This trend persisted even after the analysts accounted for common predisposing factors, such as body mass index (BMI), circulatory pressure, blood glucose levels, physical exertion, smoking behavior, dietary habits, and concentrations of non-HDL cholesterol (the “unhealthy” variety).
According to the study’s writers, these results hint that other biological or societal components might play a role in elevating men’s susceptibility to cardiac conditions at earlier ages.
“The findings imply that men who wait until midlife to evaluate their heart and blood vessel health are missing a vital opportunity for preventative measures,” stated Dr. Brett Sealove, chairman of cardiology at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, who was not directly involved with this study. He informed Live Science via electronic mail that men should commence consistent heart health examinations in their 30s and prioritize handling modifiable predisposing factors, such as their diet, workout regimens, and smoking habits.
Conversely, Sealove cautioned that these recent observations should not prompt physicians or patients to disregard the potential for women to develop cardiac conditions prior to age 65.
Dr. Kim Eagle, a cardiologist and director of the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center, shared this viewpoint. Eagle, who was not part of the study, communicated with Live Science through electronic mail, stating, “This study will not result in immediate changes to medical practice, and I am concerned that numerous individuals might mistakenly deduce that cardiac conditions primarily affect males.”
Eagle underlined that the study revealed minimal to no variation in the age at which males and females experienced heart failure or stroke. Furthermore, he commented, “It is probable that women experience a rapid progression of cardiac conditions post-menopause relative to men, which this study does not capture. Cardiac disease results in more fatalities among women than any other illness. We should not understate its significance.”
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The timeline of heart disease
The CARDIA group encompassed 5,115 individuals hailing from four locales across the United States: Chicago, Minneapolis, Birmingham, Alabama, and Oakland, California. These participants were between 18 and 30 years of age at the study’s commencement, which spanned from 1985 to 1986. The study monitored them until August 2020, indicating that the oldest participants reached around 65 years by the conclusion. The researchers gathered health details via medical evaluations and questionnaires at the onset, followed by intervals of two, five, seven, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years into the study.
Approximately 5% of the males had developed some manifestation of heart and blood vessel conditions by the age of 50; however, the same rate was attained in women around the age of 57. The most prominent gender-related contrast was observed in coronary artery disease, with men reaching a 2% likelihood of having it a decade ahead of women.
Conversely, the investigators noted negligible differences between males and females in the age at which strokes occurred. Their susceptibility to heart failure also remained similar across the majority of their adult lives.
“The extended duration of the study, paired with some diversity in participants and a sufficiently large group, furnishes us with insightful data on how heart and blood vessel health evolves from the commencement of adulthood to middle age,” Sealove observed.
He also mentioned that as an observational study, the research can’t definitively establish which factors lead to earlier heart disease in men than in women. It can merely suggest a connection between gender and the likelihood of developing heart disease. Furthermore, he highlighted that the study period witnessed notable changes in public health guidelines, diagnostic instruments, and therapies, possibly impacting when the disease was identified or managed.
Additionally, Eagle considered the study’s sample size relatively small, and he noted that it did not consider pregnancy-related complications, menopause, or particular forms of cardiac conditions that disproportionately impact women, such as those involving smaller coronary arteries. (The authors did not explicitly specify the number of women in the study who had experienced menopause by its conclusion.)
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The study authors proposed that variations in health care practices may contribute to the difference observed in heart disease between the sexes. As an illustration, they mentioned in the paper that women aged 18 to 44 attend preventive health care visits roughly four times more often than men, largely because they seek gynecological and obstetric care. They suggested that promoting preventive care in young adult males could represent a noteworthy chance to reduce heart and blood vessel risk earlier in life.
“The association between biological sex, gender and heart disease risk is multifaceted and evolves across a lifetime,” Sealove explained. Despite males seeming more prone to experiencing earlier heart disease, women’s vulnerability to it sharply escalates post-menopause, as their levels of protective estrogen decrease.
He clarified, “The study doesn’t suggest that either sex is at a greater risk overall.” Rather, it accentuates the times when risk is at its peak across a lifetime.
Concluding, Sealove said, “Ultimately, it is essential to recognize that heart and blood vessel disease is the main cause of mortality and disability in both women and men, and every individual should undergo routine health evaluations and embrace a lifestyle that promotes heart health.”
Disclaimer
This document provides content for informational purposes alone and does not constitute medical guidance.
Article Sources
Freedman, A. A., Colangelo, L. A., Ning, H., Borrowman, J. D., Lewis, C. E., Schreiner, P. J., Khan, S. S., & Lloyd‐Jones, D. M. (2026). Sex differences in age of onset of premature cardiovascular disease and subtypes: The coronary artery risk development in young adults study. Journal of the American Heart Association. https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.125.044922
IN CONTEXT
IN CONTEXTNicoletta LaneseHealth Channel Editor
It’s worth flagging that this research lumps together the concepts of sex and gender. It may be that aspects of the observed heart-health gap are related to sex, meaning they could be tied to differences in chromosomes, hormones or other biological attributes that differ between males and females. But some of the gap may be related to gender, which is related to differences in how men and women are socialized, for example. Teasing apart these influences will be necessary to understand why the gap exists.
Clarissa BrincatLive Science Contributor
Clarissa Brincat is a freelance writer specializing in health and medical research. After completing an MSc in chemistry, she realized she would rather write about science than do it. She learned how to edit scientific papers in a stint as a chemistry copyeditor, before moving on to a medical writer role at a healthcare company. Writing for doctors and experts has its rewards, but Clarissa wanted to communicate with a wider audience, which naturally led her to freelance health and science writing. Her work has also appeared in Medscape, HealthCentral and Medical News Today.
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Heart attacks are less harmful at night. And that might be key to treating them.