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Model minority myth masks rising heart risks in South Asian Americans, physician says
Namratha Kandula calls for earlier screening as new data show higher diabetes and hypertension rates by 45.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 02, Mar 2026
- 16:35 EST
- 26
Namratha Kandula / The MASALA Study
The stereotype of South Asian Americans as uniformly healthy and high-achieving may be obscuring a serious public health concern.
New research from Northwestern Medicine finds that South Asians in the United States develop heart disease risk factors significantly earlier than most other racial and ethnic groups—often despite reporting healthier diets and lifestyle habits.
Also Read: U.S. South Asians see heart risk by age 45: Study
In an interview, senior author of the study and an NIH-funded physician-researcher at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Namratha Kandula warned that such assumptions can have real consequences in clinical settings.
“The very first message is not falling for the model minority myth,” she said, noting that the perception that South Asians are universally successful and healthy can delay appropriate screening and intervention.
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