Atherosclerosis: Your Arteries Age by Age - WebMD

Atherosclerosis takes place over a lifetime. Complications from atherosclerosis tend to happen later in life. But the process of narrowing and hardening of the arteries starts early, progressing over decades.

Developing some atherosclerosis is often unavoidable. It's the result of aging and our own genetic tendencies. A much larger part, though, is determined by our behavior and lifestyle choices as we move through life.

How old are your arteries? Are they the ones you had in college? Or are they hitting their golden years early? Making sure your arteries act their age -- or even young at heart -- is partly up to you....