Rising Risk Factors: Heart Disease Remains Leading Cause of Death

While medical advances have helped people live longer with cardiovascular diseases, many of the risk factors that lead to these diseases continue to grow.

Fueled by ongoing increases in high blood pressure, obesity and other major risk factors, heart disease continues to kill more people in the U.S. than any other cause, according to the American Heart Association’s 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update. In fact, cardiovascular diseases including heart disease and stroke claim more lives than all forms of cancer and accidental deaths — the No. 2 and No. 3 causes of death — combined.

According to the update, nearly 47% of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, more than 72% are at an unhealthy weight, nearly 42% are obese and more than half have Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.

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