According to new research from the American Heart Association, heart disease deaths related to obesity increased by 180% in the U.S. between 1999 and 2020. Findings were especially concerning among men (increased 243%) and more specifically, middle-aged men (increased 165%). Also, Black adults exhibited heart disease death rates related to obesity of 3.93 deaths per 100,000 people. Researchers measured age-adjusted mortality rates and found a 5.03 annual percentage increase in the overall rate of obesity-related heart disease deaths.
Keeping up awareness: Women’s heart disease is too often under-recognized. In this study, the age-adjusted death rate for women attributed to obesity-related ischemic heart disease increased from 1.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 1999 to 3.7 per 100,000 in 2020, reflecting a 131% increase.