Cardiovascular epidemiology has advanced enormously in the study of risk factors for atherosclerosis, as evidenced by publications in Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia (ABC) in the last years ^– .

Based on this information, it is possible to explore new hypotheses and, therefore, new frontiers for prevention. The different perspectives for the study of these risk factors include the life course epidemiology. This perspective considers that the onset of the disease may occur long before the establishment of traditional risk factors in adulthood. Thus, health and diseases can be considered as a result of long-term effects of exposure to different factors throughout the various stages of life, including intrauterine life, childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

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