Heart disease risk increases for US immigrants the longer they live in US
Adopting US dietary and lifestyle habits, stress, and barriers to preventative care contribute to increased risk
2025-10-02
(Press-News.org) Foreign born immigrants to the United States have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than their U.S.-born counterparts; however, that advantage diminishes the longer they live in the U.S., according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Middle East 2025 Together with 16th Emirates Cardiac Society Conference taking place October 3-5, 2025, in Dubai, UAE.
“We see that as immigrants are exposed to U.S. dietary and lifestyle habits for prolonged periods of time, it has a negative effect on their heart health,” said Krishna Moparthi, a medical student at John. F. Kennedy University School of Medicine and co-author of the study. “There is a need for targeted public health interventions that address the evolving cardiovascular health risks among immigrant populations and raise awareness on effective prevention strategies.”
Researchers analyzed data from 15,965 adults in the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), focusing on cardiovascular disease risk factors including BMI, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and smoking. Participants were categorized by U.S.-born or foreign-born status and further segmented by how long they have lived in the U.S. (less than 15 years vs. more than 15 years).
They found 86.4% of U.S.-born individuals and 80.1% of foreign-born individuals had at least one CVD risk factor. Foreign-born adults residing in the U.S. for less than 15 years had a lower adjusted prevalence of hypertension (38.3% vs. 48.5%), hypercholesterolemia (27.8% vs. 30%), and smoking (12.5% vs. 19.9%) compared to U.S.-born adults. However, foreign-born individuals living in the U.S. for more than 15 years had an increased prevalence of diabetes (15.4% vs. 11.2%) and hypercholesterolemia (29.4% vs. 30%) compared to their U.S.- born counterparts.
The study also highlighted that foreign-born, non-Hispanic Asian adults had a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes (14.5% vs. 6%) and a lower prevalence of smoking (8.2% vs. 12.5%) compared to U.S.-born, non-Hispanic Asians.
According to researchers, there are several reasons why immigrants’ CVD risk is rising the longer they live in the U.S.
Lifestyle acculturation: Over time, immigrants may adopt dietary patterns higher in processed foods, sugars and fats, along with more sedentary behaviors.
Stress and socioeconomic factors: Chronic stressors such as discrimination, financial hardship or unstable work conditions can worsen cardiovascular risk.
Loss of protective cultural practices: Traditional diets, physical activity habits and community/social support networks that initially confer health benefits may decline with prolonged U.S. residence.
Health care access and utilization: Barriers to preventive care can delay diagnosis or treatment, contributing to rising risk factors.
Researchers said clinicians should consider an immigrant’s duration of residence in the U.S. as a meaningful factor in immigrant patients’ risk profiles and emphasize early screenings, culturally sensitive counseling and preventive interventions to preserve heart health.
“Immigrants arrive with a cardiovascular health advantage, but this fades the longer they reside in the U.S. due to acculturation, stress and lifestyle changes,” Moparthi said. “Immigrants should proactively protect their health through screenings and maintaining protective behaviors, while clinicians must recognize duration of U.S. residence as a risk factor and provide culturally tailored prevention strategies.”
For embargoed copies of abstracts or media registration for the conference, contact Katie Glenn at kglenn@acc.org.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a global leader dedicated to transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. For more than 75 years, the ACC has empowered a community of over 60,000 cardiovascular professionals across more than 140 countries with cutting-edge education and advocacy, rigorous professional credentials, and trusted clinical guidance. From its world-class JACC Journals and NCDR registries to its Accreditation Services, global network of Chapters and Sections, and CardioSmart patient initiatives, the College is committed to creating a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org or connect on social media at @ACCinTouch.
###
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2025-10-02
Miami (October 2, 2025) – The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association announced today that two abstracts using Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry data were presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress, held September 27-October 1, 2025, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The abstracts are:
“Exploring the overlapping burden of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and bronchiectasis: insights from the US BRR,” which examined the role of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in the development of bronchiectasis.
“Assessing ...
2025-10-02
PULLMAN, Washington -- More than half of survivors of the Sudan Ebola virus still suffer serious health problems two years post-infection and the virus can persist in semen and breast milk for months after recovery, according to the first study examining the virus’s long-term effects.
The study, led by researchers at Washington State University, found 57.5% of the survivors of an outbreak in Uganda from 2022-23 reported ongoing and debilitating health issues that interfered with their daily lives. The detection of traces of the virus in semen and breast milk also raised concerns ...
2025-10-02
Branching isn’t just for trees. This biological process occurs in animal development, enabling organs to perform complex functions. Branch-like structures form in lungs, kidneys, and breasts, among other places. Importantly, only in female mammary glands does most branching occur years after birth. It happens during puberty and again during pregnancy as milk ducts branch out in preparation for breastfeeding. Disturbances here have been linked to breast cancer. However, studying branching can be difficult and time-consuming.
Now, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) researchers have developed a tool to quickly quantify changes in the branches of mouse mammary glands. ...
2025-10-02
Astronomers have identified an enormous ‘growth spurt’ in a so-called rogue planet. Unlike the planets in our Solar System, these objects do not orbit stars, free-floating on their own instead. The new observations, made with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), reveal that this free-floating planet is eating up gas and dust from its surroundings at a rate of six billion tonnes a second. This is the strongest growth rate ever recorded for a rogue planet, or a planet of any kind, providing valuable insights into how they form and grow.
“People may think ...
2025-10-02
A young rogue planet about 620 light-years away from Earth has experienced a record-breaking “growth spurt,” hoovering up some six billion tons of gas and dust each second over a couple of months.
A team of international researchers have explored changes in the planet’s growth and immediate surroundings. The observations provide insight into how rogue planets—free-floating planetary-mass objects that do not orbit stars—behave and grow in their infancy.
“We’ve caught this newborn rogue planet in the act of gobbling ...
2025-10-02
What if the presence of a well-known but misunderstood viral protein explains why some people living with HIV (PLWH) never recover their health, even with antiretroviral treatment?
Dr. Madeleine Durand and Andrés Finzi, researchers at the CRCHUM, Université de Montréal’s affiliated hospital research centre, will explore this through the launch of a groundbreaking clinical trial this fall.
Two studies, one approach
With the publication of a remarkable study in 2023, the two scientists and Mehdi Benlarbi, a PhD student in Finzi’s lab, showed a keen interest in the HIV molecule gp120. The virus is known to infect ...
2025-10-02
With the rollout of fifth-generation (5G) telecommunications networks and 6G looming on the horizon, the demand for advanced materials that can handle high-frequency signals is rising rapidly. These systems use electromagnetic waves ranging from tens to hundreds of gigahertz (GHz), where signals are highly sensitive to transmission loss, interference, and distortion. To address these issues, scientists and engineers rely on special insulating materials, known as dielectrics, which help guide signals with minimal loss.
Polymer-based dielectrics are particularly attractive. ...
2025-10-02
Residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems constitute a significant proportion of energy usage in buildings, necessitating energy management optimization. In this context, occupancy aware HVAC control is a promising option with 20-50% energy savings in homes. However, occupancy sensing technology suffers from long payback times, privacy issues, and poor comfort. Moreover, there is an increasing need for further advanced technologies that help regulate indoor air quality in addition to energy control.
To meet these expectations, scientists have recently turned to intelligent control methods such as ...
2025-10-02
HOUSTON – Oct. 2, 2025 – Obesity has long been acknowledged as a risk factor for a wide range of diseases, but a more precise link between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease has remained a mystery – until now.
A first-of-its-kind study from Houston Methodist found that adipose-derived extracellular vesicles, tiny cell-to-cell messengers in the body, can signal the buildup of amyloid-β plaque in obese individuals. These plaques are a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study, “Decoding Adipose–Brain Crosstalk: Distinct Lipid Cargo in Human Adipose-Derived ...
2025-10-02
Kyoto, Japan -- With their massive flapping ears and long trunks, it isn't hard to believe that elephants tend to rely on acoustic and olfactory cues for communication. They use gestures and visual displays to communicate as well, but we don't really know how much. Visual communication research has mainly focused on species that are primarily visual, like nonhuman primates.
A previous study demonstrated that African savanna elephants can recognize human visual attention based on a person's face and body orientation, but this had yet to be investigated in their Asian cousins. Asian elephants split from African elephants millions of years ago, so their behavior and cognition differ ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Heart disease risk increases for US immigrants the longer they live in US
Adopting US dietary and lifestyle habits, stress, and barriers to preventative care contribute to increased risk
