Obesity at the Centre of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Care

Insights from the OECD report: The State of Cardiovascular Health in the European Union

Key Message

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death and disability in the European Union. The OECD analysis shows that most of the CVD burden is driven by modifiable risk factors, with metabolic risks playing a dominant role. Obesity is both a chronic disease in its own right and a major modifiable driver of cardiovascular disease. When obesity is effectively treated, the risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced, with benefits for individuals, health systems and society.

Context

CVD accounts for around one-third of all deaths in the EU and affects tens of millions of people. The associated economic burden exceeds €280 billion per year due to healthcare costs, productivity losses and informal care. While advances in acute cardiovascular care have saved lives, progress in prevention has stalled, and inequalities in outcomes persist across countries and population groups.

Obesity, Chronic Disease and Cardiovascular Risk

The OECD report highlights that approximately three-quarters of CVD-related disability is attributable to modifiable risk factors, with metabolic risks representing the largest share. These include obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes, which commonly cluster and interact to accelerate cardiovascular disease.

Obesity should be understood not only as a risk factor, but as a chronic, relapsing disease that directly impairs health and drives the development of cardiovascular disease and related conditions. Its effects are mediated through biological pathways including insulin resistance, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and adverse lipid profiles. The report’s focus on metabolic risk strongly supports the position that addressing obesity as a disease is central to reducing cardiovascular burden.

Implications for Prevention and Care

The report emphasises prevention across the life course, combining population-level action with effective clinical care. Policies to improve diet quality, support physical activity and reduce social inequalities remain essential, but must be complemented by timely, evidence-based obesity management within health systems.

Treating obesity through person-centred, evidence-based approaches can reduce cardiovascular risk, improve metabolic health and lower the incidence of downstream cardiovascular events. Strengthening primary care capacity to identify, assess and manage obesity as a chronic disease is therefore a critical component of effective CVD prevention and care.

Key Policy Implications

• Recognise obesity as a chronic disease and a central, modifiable driver of cardiovascular disease
• Integrate obesity management into national and EU-level cardiovascular health strategies
• Strengthen primary care systems for early identification and long-term management of obesity and cardiometabolic risk
• Promote integrated care models with joint health checks which will help address identified metabolic and cardiovascular conditions
• Ensure equitable access to effective obesity and cardiovascular care to reduce health inequalities

The OECD report provides strong support for placing obesity at the centre of cardiovascular disease prevention and care. Treating obesity as a chronic disease in its own right, while also recognising it as a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is essential to reducing the burden of CVD, improving population health and supporting sustainable health systems across Europe.

Read the abstract and executive summary:  https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/the-state-of-cardiovascular-health-in-the-european-union_ea7a15f4-en.html 

Read the full report:  https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/the-state-of-cardiovascular-health-in-the-european-union_6fb915f3/ea7a15f4-en.pdf