Based on an examination of information from more than 10,000 respondents to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the study indicates that almost 90% of persons over 20 had a higher than average risk of heart disease.
Heart, Kidney, and Metabolism
The research, which was directed by Dr. Rahul Aggarwal of Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, focuses on the recently identified Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome. This syndrome impacts the heart, brain, liver, and kidneys, among other important organs. It is associated with a number of risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease.
A moderate risk was indicated by nearly half of the NHANES participants being at stage 2 of CKM, which is brought on by conditions including high blood sugar, hypertension, high cholesterol, or chronic kidney disease. More over 25% of participants met the criteria for stage 1, which meant that they were overweight or obese and at higher risk without exhibiting any particular symptoms.
Obesity and CKM
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32% of Americans are overweight and 40% of Americans are obese, illustrating the ongoing problem of obesity in the country. Even among those who are thought to be at a healthy weight, being overweight dramatically raises the risk of developing high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol.
Age by itself does not significantly lower the risk of heart disease. Only 18% of persons between the ages of 20 and 44 had no risk indicators for heart disease, according to the study, despite the fact that those over 65 were more likely to have advanced CKM.
These results highlight the critical need for early action to combat the nation’s rising heart disease risk factor epidemic. The incidence of obesity and metabolic risk factors must be decreased by public health programs that support healthy eating and activity habits.