What are the risk factors for coronary artery disease?

Elevated cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, male gender, and family history of coronary disease are all associated with a higher risk for developing coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. These risk factors were identified by following a large population of "healthy" people over 20 – 30 years and coming up with a profile of those who ultimately went on to develop coronary artery disease. Recently, increased blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid, has also been found to be a risk factor for coronary disease.