Elevated non-HDL cholesterol levels in people younger than 45 are strongly associated with long-term atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to findings from a large international study.

The analysis, claimed to be the most comprehensive to date, suggests that lipid-lowering earlier in life is important, as the risk of future cardiovascular events is more pronounced in younger people compared with middle-aged or elderly people.

Investigators from the Multinational Cardiovascular Risk Consortium analysed data from nearly 400,000 people from 19 countries, including Australia, to assess the link between non-HDL cholesterol concentrations and occurrence of coronary heart disease or ischaemic stroke events by age 75.

The median age of participants was 51, and none had prevalent cardiovascular disease at baseline.