Katie Camero/National Geographic:

Mounting evidence shows that more young adults are experiencing heart problems compared to decades past, and that worsening lifestyle habits—namely, poor diet and lack of exercise—are to blame. And some research suggests that COVID infections are adding insult to injury.
Perhaps the most alarming trend is that, despite declines among older adults, the proportion of heart attacks among younger adults is increasing across the globe—which many doctors who spoke to National Geographic consider a public health emergency. (Young adults are loosely defined as those between 20 to 50 years old.)
Recent events have underscored these concerns. In late July, 18-year-old Bronny James, the oldest son of NBA star LeBron James, collapsed after going into cardiac arrest during basketball practice at the University of Southern California. (He has since been discharged after a short hospital stay.)
Cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack—but the event, and several others like it, raises questions more broadly about cardiovascular health and young people.
(It’s not just heart attacks. Colon cancer is rising among young adults.)
“Young individuals are not immune from cardiac arrest or heart attack, yet many think that this is still a disease of older folks,” sas Ron Blankstein, senior preventive cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “But the really important thing for young individuals to know is that cardiovascular disease, for the most part, can be prevented if you take the right steps.”
Heart attacks on the rise in younger adults
Cardiac arrest, which Bronny James suffered, occurs when the heart experiences an electrical malfunction and suddenly stops beating. This is different from a heart attack, which happens when blood flow into the heart is partially or completely blocked.
Because cardiac arrest can be caused by several conditions—like cardiomyopathy (thickened heart muscle), heart failure, arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), and yes, heart attacks—it’s difficult for doctors to study and determine whether it’s becoming more common in young adults.
But research does show that heart attacks, also called myocardial infarctions, are on the rise in younger people. Common symptoms include chest pain or discomfort; pain that radiates into the jaw, neck, back or arms; shortness of breath; and feeling weak or faint.