Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 May;17(7):463-474.
doi: 10.1080/17501911.2025.2489921. Epub 2025 Apr 21.

Cardiometabolic disease management: influences from epigenetics

Natalia Atzemian  1 , Shafeeq Mohammed  1 , Ludovica Di Venanzio  1 , Era Gorica  1 , Sarah Costantino  1 , Frank Ruschitzka  1   2 , Francesco Paneni  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Cardiometabolic disease management: influences from epigenetics

Natalia Atzemian et al. Epigenomics. 2025 May.

Abstract

Epigenomics is a rapidly emerging field that has gathered significant attention as a "non-genetic determinant" implicated in the manifestation of non-communicable diseases. Exploring epigenetic modifications provides novel insights into the management of cardiometabolic disease (CMD). Epigenetics signatures are influenced by environmental stressors such as air pollution, toxins, and urban noises as well as by established cardiovascular risk factors including smoking, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and diabetes. Understanding how epigenetic alterations lead to CMD as well as inter-individual differences in epigenetic makeup could unveil new molecular targets and new epi-drugs to be employed for precision medicine approaches in the growing population of patients with cardiometabolic disease to reduce cardiovascular risk. Herein, we provide an overview of the latest advancements in epigenetic mechanisms implicated in CMD and possible therapeutic opportunities.

Keywords: Cardiometabolic disease; cardiovascular risk; diabetes; epigenetics; obesity.

Plain language summary

Cardiometabolic diseases (CMD), like heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, are major health problems around the world. These conditions are becoming more common because of longer life spans and unhealthy lifestyle habits such as poor diet, smoking, and lack of exercise. These habits can affect the way our genes work, even without changing the DNA itself, through a mechanism called epigenetics. In this article, we explore the latest research on how epigenetics plays a role in CMD and how this evolving knowledge could help doctors prevent disease earlier and provide more personalized treatments in the future.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Francesco Paneni is a scientific consultant for Novo Nordisk.

The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

References

    1. Ralston J, Nugent R.. Toward a broader response to cardiometabolic disease. Nat Med. 2019. Nov 01;25(11):1644–1646. - PubMed
    1. Organization WH. Noncommunicable diseases. WHO; 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
    1. Miranda JJ, Barrientos-Gutiérrez T, Corvalan C, et al. Understanding the rise of cardiometabolic diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Nat Med. 2019. Nov 01;25(11):1667–1679. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0644-7 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Krentz A, Jacob S, Heiss C, et al. Rising to the challenge of cardio-renal-metabolic disease in the 21st century: translating evidence into best clinical practice to prevent and manage atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis. 2024. Sep 01;396:118528. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2024.118528 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ndumele CE, Rangaswami J, Chow SL, et al. Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Health: a presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2023. Nov 14;148(20):1606–1635. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001184 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources