'Bad cholesterol' levels should be checked from age of 25 - study

Understanding risks early on could help protect from disease later in life and 'offer chance to take statins or adjust diet'

All adults as young as 25, as well as older people, need to know of their "bad cholesterol" levels so they can change their lifestyle or take drugs to protect themselves against heart attacks or strokes in later life, say scientists.

A landmark study involving data from nearly 400,000 people in 19 countries has established for the first time that levels of non-HDL, or "bad cholesterol", in the blood are closely linked to the risk of heart disease across the entire life course.