The MASALA Study

Why do South Asians experience higher rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes earlier in life? Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women worldwide, and South Asians carry a disproportionate burden of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, often at younger ages and lower body weights than other groups. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Alka Kanaya, anInternal Medicine physician and Professor of Medicine at UCSF, founding Principal Investigator of the groundbreaking MASALA Study (Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America).We discuss what a decade-plus of data is teaching us, with a special spotlight on women. Show Notes: Association Between Plant-Based Dietary Patterns and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. September 30, 2019. Content used under license from the JAMA Network® © American Medical Association 1. Cardiovascular Risk Factor Profiles in North and South Indian and Pakistani Americans: The MASALA Study. American Heart Journal. 2022. Reddy NK, Kaushal V, Kanaya AM, et al.Opinion 2. Diabetes in South Asians: Uncovering Novel Risk Factors With Longitudinal Epidemiologic Data: Kelly West Award Lecture 2023. Diabetes Care. 2024. Kanaya AM.Review 3. Prevalence and Trends in Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Middle-Aged South Asian Adults Compared With Other Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States: A Longitudinal Analysis of 2 Cohort Studies. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2026. Pedamallu H, Aghabazaz Z, Lancki N, et al.Recent 4. Parity, Weight Change, and Maternal Risk of Cardiovascular events. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2017. Klingberg S, Brekke HK, Winkvist A, et al. 5. Multiparity Is Associated With Poorer Cardiovascular Health Among Women From the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2019. Ogunmoroti O, Osibogun O, Kolade OB, et al. 6. Beyond the Coronaries: Utility of Extra-Coronary Calcification for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Women. Current Atherosclerosis Reports. 2026. Littman E, Bukhari S, Watts H, et al.RecentReview 7. Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk Before and After Type 2 Diabetes Onset and the Roles of Ectopic Fat and Ethnic Variation: The 2025 Edwin Bierman Award Lecture. Diabetes. 2025. Sattar N.RecentReview 8. Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in South Asians in the United States: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Treatments: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2018. Volgman AS, Palaniappan LS, Aggarwal NT, et al.Guideline 9. A Healthy Plant-Based Diet Is Favorably Associated With Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Participants of South Asian Ancestry. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2022. Bhupathiraju SN, Sawicki CM, Goon S, et al. 10. Epidemiology of Diabetes and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Among Asian American Adults: Implications, Management, and Future Directions: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2023. Kwan TW, Wong SS, Hong Y, et al.Guideline 11. Promoting Risk Identification and Reduction of Cardiovascular Disease in Women Through Collaboration With Obstetricians and Gynecologists: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Circulation. 2018. Brown HL, Warner JJ, Gianos E, et al.Guideline 12. Sex-Specific Differences in Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Implications for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women. Atherosclerosis. 2023. Rajendran A, Minhas AS, Kazzi B, et al.Review 13. Evolving Role of Calcium Density in Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring And Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk. JACC. Cardiovascular Imaging. 2022. Razavi AC, Agatston AS, Shaw LJ, et al.Review