Add Us On GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google
Minn. (Northern News Now) – Decades of progress in reducing heart disease deaths are being reversed, driven by rising rates of <a href="https://healthylife7.com/eli-lilly-stock-rises-2-1-as-uk-clears-obesity-pill/” title=”Eli Lilly Stock Rises 2.1% as UK Clears Obesity Pill”>obesity, high blood sugar and physical inactivity a cardiologist and lead author of a new study examining the trend
Benziger said improvements in managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking had long driven heart disease deaths down. But those gains are now being offset
“That decrease that we’ve seen from managing those risk factors has been sort of offset with a rise in obesity, and something we call impaired fasting glucose, which leads to diabetes,” Benziger said. “And that is going up at a rate that is counteracting all the benefits that we’ve seen with better treatments of high blood pressure and cholesterol and the reduction in smoking.”
Benziger said newer weight-loss and diabetes medications — including Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy and Zepbound, known collectively as GLP-1 receptor agonists — are effective tools, but their widespread use came after the study’s 2023 data cutoff
“For the first time in a long time, the rate of obesity has plateaued in the United States,” she said. “But there’s still a lot of people who are overweight and obese. Almost half of Americans have either overweight or obesity.”
Benziger said the process often begins in childhood and compounds over time
“You start with people being overweight or obese, that then leads to having high blood pressure and having inability for your body to digest foods properly,” she said. “And you have something called insulin resistance.”
She said those conditions track into adulthood — the 20s, 30s and 40s — eventually leading to hardening of the arteries, coronary artery disease, heart attacks and strokes
Benziger pointed to reduced physical activity in schools as a contributing factor, noting that Duluth Public Schools currently offer gym class once every four days and only 15 minutes of recess, while children need 60 minutes of exercise daily
“Sports participation is at an all-time low,” she said. “This is starting in childhood, but then it’s tracking into adulthood.”
She also said sedentary adult work habits are a significant risk factor
“We say sitting is the new smoking,” Benziger said. “Sitting all day long for 6, 8, 10 hours is really bad for you — just like if you were smoking a pack of cigarettes in terms of your risk of having diabetes and cardiovascular disease later on.”
Benziger said patients should be aware of several key health metrics:
- Blood pressure — the number one contributor to heart disease
- LDL cholesterol — should be less than 100
- Lipoprotein(a), or LP(a) — should be checked once; can run in families
- Fasting glucose / hemoglobin A1c — a result of 6.5 or higher indicates diabetes
- Body weight / BMI — to determine eligibility for GLP-1 medications, especially with comorbidities such as sleep apnea or liver disease
Benziger said the single most important step is to move more and sit less
“If you’re someone who’s a big couch potato, the biggest increase is just getting off the couch and walking 10 minutes a day,” she said. “Try to get up to 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity every day.”
She also recommended eating smaller meals, choosing heart-healthier foods and scheduling an appointment with a doctor to review labs and discuss treatment options for blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes
Click hereto download the Northern News Now app or our Northern News Now First Alert weather app
Copyright 2026 Northern News Now. All rights reserved
