Why are so many young people (including athletes) having heart attacks?

Stress is really the biggest factor. You have to remember, a heart attack while in some cases has to do with health or weight, a growing number of healthy people have them as doctors find that even the healthiest of people can have unhealthy arteries.

 

That could be a factor, but I'm not sure. It's kind of a generalization to say that "Only old people used to have heart attacks" or "Everyone in this generation is too fat."

That's simply not always the reason. A lot of the young people who have died of cardiac arrest were born with heart problems, they didn't just show up out of nowhere. The problem is these heart problems go undetected, and when the person goes out and puts strain on his body, such as being an athlete does, it can be too much for the heart.