Men develop coronary heart disease years before women. This difference was driven largely by coronary heart disease, where men reached a two percent incidence more than a decade earlier than women. Differences in heart disease risk begin to emerge as early as the mid-30s, which is much sooner than many medical professionals previously suspected. Question 2: Why was it surprising to researchers that the gap between men and women regarding heart disease onset has not narrowed over time? How much earlier do men typically reach a five percent incidence of cardiovascular disease compared to women according to the new research findings?