New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS): Twenty three percent of Delhi youth below 19 years of age have high cholesterol levels, a study revealed here on Monday.

The study that was conducted by Raman Puri, chairman of Lipid Association of India and an interventional cardiologist at Apollo Hospital, after testing samples from 2,508 teenagers from Delhi and its adjoining areas, also revealed that females are more susceptible to the condition.

"High prevalence of atherogenic lipid profile (reason behind heart attack and stroke), low HDL levels (good cholesterol) and high body mass index has been noted in the youth population in Delhi and its adjoining areas," said Raman Puri.

Puri said that high blood cholesterol levels is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) which can lead to heart attack and stroke.

According to the data released by the health ministry, the average incident age of CAD in India is 52 years as compared to early 70s in Americans.

The study also stated that of the total teenagers tested, 2.3 percent were overweight and 3.8 percent were obese. The study was recently published in the Journal of the American college of cardiology.