More than 70% of American Indian young adults aged 20-39 and 50% of American Indian teens have cholesterol levels or elevated fat in the blood that put them at risk for cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests. In some cases, these levels — specifically high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, often thought of as ‘bad cholesterol,’ — were linked to plaque buildup and cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke.

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