South Asia's cardiometabolic burden: exposomal determinants of a health transition

South Asia is facing an escalating burden of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), dyslipidemia, metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.1–4 In 2023, high systolic blood pressure (SBP) accounted for nearly 138 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and 6.27 million deaths across the Asia–Pacific region, while high body mass index, elevated LDL cholesterol, and T2D collectively contributed to more than 150 million DALYs.