US, Oct. 21 -- For many South Asian families, a heart attack or a diagnosis of diabetes is still viewed as something that happens "later in life." Increasing evidence suggests that assumption may be costing us valuable years of prevention.

South Asians - including people of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Sri Lankan, Bhutanese and Maldivian ancestry, carry a high burden of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. More concerning is that several of the conditions that contribute to heart disease appear to develop at younger ages than they do in many other populations.

A 2026 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association provides a striking example. Researchers analyzed health data from about 2,700 U.S. adul...