Heart Disease Doesn’t Start at 60. It Starts in Your 30s. Here’s Why Men Are at Risk
Most men don’t realize the damage is already happening, long before symptoms, statins, or a heart attack.
If you’re a man in your 30s reading this, you might already be developing heart disease.
Just like dementia, osteoporosis, and cancer, heart disease isn’t something the develops in your 50s or 70s. It starts in your late 20s, 30s, and often peaks in your 40s.
Welcome to the Healthy Aging Newsletter, a free publication translating trustworthy medical research into simple habits to age well, free of chronic disease. I’m Dr. Ashori, a family medicine doctor turned health coach.
Why Heart Disease Happens Earlier in Men
Reason 1: We don’t get the same estrogen-related vascular protection as women. This is possibly the biggest factor.
Reason 2: Men tend to deposit more visceral fat. Women, however, deposit most of their fat subcutaneously. This creates fewer inflammatory circulating fatty acids.
Reason 3: Men also have a gradual loss in their testosterone which is often why they become less active, more sedentary, and eat more calorie-rich food. This gradual shift in activity and nutrition comes with a heavy dose of heart disease risk.
Who is At Highest Risk
Reason 4: If you’re reading this, statistically you are following a more Western lifestyle, and are likely at higher risk. Also consider:
Family history of heart disease (especially under age 70)
Prediabetes or any metabolic derangement
Smoking history
Excess belly fat
Poor exercise tolerance or fitness
Chronic stress
Poor sleep
Too busy to take care of your health in your 30s-40s
High saturated fat intake
Reason 5: Men often view themselves as breadwinners, with only one life to prove success or otherwise face failure. It’s a lot of social pressure. This is the breeding ground for ignoring early risk.
Heart disease isn’t just about high cholesterol or high blood pressure. If your lipids are high but the rest of your lifestyle is nearly perfect, your risk of heart disease might be really low.
The Symptoms ♂️’s Ignore
Reason 6: The early symptoms of cardiovascular disease happen decades before that first heart attack, angina, stroke, or heart failure.
Shortness of breath
Chest pressure with exercise
Fatigue
Lower exercise tolerance
Erectile dysfunction
Poor sleep
Unable to cope with stress
Muscle loss
In my practice, when I’ve witnessed someone start going downhill, it’s usually their energy which goes first (fatigue). This is followed by the quality of their sleep. Next, it’s erectile dysfunction.
Ready to improve your chances at a heart-disease free life?
The Anti-Medication Movement
As with any invention or wave, it is first highly adopted, revered, and later vilified. We are in this latter phase when cholesterol and blood pressure medications are considered dangerous or harmful.
When it comes to decreasing the risk of heart disease nothing is more powerful than your lifestyle change. But this has to be a meaningful, genuine change. Second to this are the classes we refer to as pharmaceuticals.
Reason 7: Men tend to delay treatment because of concerns of medication safety. Knowing when to start a medication and when to double down on lifestyle changes is an art.
Prevention Habits Proven to be Effective
Instead of hyperfocusing on cholesterol and blood pressure numbers, consider making some changes in the following health departments:
Reduce insulin resistance
Improve aerobic fitness
Improve muscle mass
Sleep as a cardiovascular intervention
Shift food quality
Track waist-to-height ratio
Refer back to labs to make sure you’re on track
Avoid Perfection
Your body is doing everything possible to not develop plaque. Even if plaque develops, your body will attempt to stabilize the plaque to prevent a sudden blockage. You just need to help it along or maybe get out of its way to do its thing.
Small, daily, consistent habits are the biggest winners. Yes, the 100 lb weight loss in 12 months is newsworthy but not always a long-term win.
Dear Men…
The important steps you take for your health affect everyone around you, including the people you love.
How you take care of your body echoes in the next generation, too. My patients are the best evangelists of sustainable health.
Disclaimer:
Dr. Mohammad Ashori is a U.S.-trained family medicine physician turned health coach. The content shared here is for education and general guidance only. It is not personal medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not create a doctor–patient relationship. Humans are complicated and context matters. Always talk with your own healthcare team before making medical decisions, changing medications, or ignoring symptoms. This information is to help you add more depth to those conversations.
I just assumed it was because most of us are married to women?