Heart disease is on the rise globally, and in the United States, someone dies of cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds. Nearly 2,500 people in the US die from cardiovascular disease every day, according to the American Heart Association. Immigrants living in the US have a comparatively lower risk of cardiovascular disease. However, a new study found that the risk increases the longer they live in the US. The study was presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Middle East 2025 Together, in Dubai, UAE.
The longer you stay in the US, the higher the risk of heart disease
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Foreign-born immigrants to the United States have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to their US-born counterparts. But the new study found that this advantage diminishes the longer they live in the US. The dietary and lifestyle habits in the US, along with stress and barriers to preventative care, contribute to this increased risk.
“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. 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,” Krishna Moparthi, a medical student at John. F. Kennedy University School of Medicine and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
The study
To understand how residing in America increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases in immigrants, the researchers analyzed data from 15,965 adults in the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). They looked at the cardiovascular disease risk factors, including BMI, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and smoking. The researchers then categorized the participants into US-born or foreign-born status. The participants were further segmented by how long they had lived in the US (less than 15 years vs. more than 15 years).
The findings
The findings of the study are quite concerning. They found that 86.4% of US-born individuals and 80.1% of foreign-born individuals had at least one CVD risk factor. Immigrant adults residing in the US 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 US-born adults. But, foreign-born individuals living in the US 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 US-born counterparts.The study also showed 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 US-born, non-Hispanic Asians.
Why are immigrants at higher risk of CVDs the longer they live in the US?
The researchers found that lifestyle is a huge factor in the rising CVD risk. “Over time, immigrants may adopt dietary patterns higher in processed foods, sugars, and fats, along with more sedentary behaviors,” the researchers noted. Another trigger is stress and socioeconomic factors. The study found that chronic stressors such as discrimination, financial hardship, or unstable work conditions can worsen cardiovascular risk.The loss of protective cultural practices is also a crucial factor. The traditional diets, physical activity habits, and community/ social support networks that used to contribute to their health, however, may decline with prolonged US residence.Access to health care and utilization also have an effect. Barriers to preventive care can delay diagnosis or treatment, contributing to rising risk factors, the study found.
What are experts saying?
The researchers stressed that doctors should consider how long the immigrant resided in the US 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. 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,” Moparthi added.
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