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Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Among South Asian Americans

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

South Asian Americans experience higher cardiometabolic risk and disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent evidence about the role of obesity in CVD risk in South Asian Americans and identify key evidence gaps and future directions for research and interventions for obesity in this group.

Recent Findings

South Asian Americans are predisposed to abdominal obesity and have a higher distribution of visceral fat, intermuscular fat, and intrahepatic fat compared to adults of other race and ethnic groups. In this population, the risk for cardiometabolic disease appears to be elevated even at a normal body mass index. Social, cultural, religious, interpersonal, and environmental factors are related to obesity and obesity-related behaviors among South Asian Americans.

Summary

There is a relatively high prevalence of obesity in South Asian origin populations in the United States, who have unique socio-cultural determinants of overweight and obesity. Future research should clarify why the risk for metabolic disease and CVD is elevated at normal BMI in the South Asian American population and environmental and other structural factors that may influence obesity in this group. Interventions must be adapted to the social and cultural context of South Asian Americans to improve effectiveness and implementation.

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Data Availability

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

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Funding

This work was supported in part by National Heart, Lung, and Blood institute grants K24HL155897 to Namratha R. Kandula and K23HL157766 to Nilay S. Shah.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Ashwini Deshpande

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Nilay S. Shah & Namratha R. Kandula

  3. Department of Medicine (Cardiology), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Nilay S. Shah

  4. Department of Medicine (General Internal Medicine), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 750 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 600, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Namratha R. Kandula

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  1. Ashwini Deshpande
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Correspondence to Namratha R. Kandula.

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Deshpande, A., Shah, N.S. & Kandula, N.R. Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Among South Asian Americans. Curr Cardiovasc Risk Rep 17, 73–82 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12170-023-00714-5

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