Obesity’s Cardiovascular Risk Gap Is Narrowing in Older Adults—But Not in the Young

An international analysis of nearly 1 million adults found that the long-standing differences in blood pressure and non-HDL cholesterol between older adults with obesity and those of normal weight have narrowed substantially over the past three decades, largely alongside increased use of antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering medications. Researchers analyzed data from 110 national health surveys conducted between 1990 and 2024 across Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Finland, England, and the United States, involving 978,425 participants aged 20–79 years. Over time, systolic blood pressure and non-HDL cholesterol declined in most countries, with the greatest improvements occurring among people with obesity, particularly those with severe obesity. As a result, adults over age 40 with obesity in several countries often had blood pressure and non-HDL cholesterol levels similar to—or even better than—those of their normal-weight peers. These improvements coincided with larger increases in the use of lipid-lowering and antihypertensive medications among people with obesity. However, HDL (“good”) cholesterol improved more among normal-weight individuals, widening that gap. Importantly, younger adults with obesity showed little reduction in their metabolic risk disadvantage and were rarely treated for elevated cholesterol or blood pressure, suggesting that obesity-related cardiovascular risk remains a significant concern in the young. Source: https://www.thelancet.com/