Researchers have noted that access to (and results from) health care can differ widely for black Americans as compared to whites. Moreover, large-scale studies of heart disease in Black Americans have been lacking. Even race itself can be an awkward subject to present in a scientific setting.

The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study was undertaken to investigate clinically significant differences between white and black American individuals in heart disease risk factors and incidence. 

The study included more than 14,000 individuals (2,298 black American women, 5,686 white women, 1,393 black American men, 4,682 white men) aged 45 to 64 years and having no initial evidence of heart disease. The black American participants were mainly in Jackson, Miss., with some in North Carolina. The white participants resided principally in North Carolina, Maryland and Minnesota. Researchers focused on several risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol levels, body mass index and obesity.

Results showed that the rate of heart disease was “somewhat higher” in black American women than in white women, and “slightly lower” in black American men than in white men. The researchers found that high blood pressure was “a more powerful predictor of heart disease in black American women than in other race-sex groups,” and diabetes was a “weaker predictor” in black American women than in white women. Levels of low density lipoproteins (LDLs, so-called “bad” cholesterol) were seen as “almost as strong” a predictor in either race.

In discussing the limitations of their study, the researchers noted that most of the black American participants were from one geographic location. Nonetheless, it was concluded that traditional risk factors in both black Americans and whites should be managed aggressively, particularly the treatment of high blood pressure in black American women.