Development Goals

Tracking the eight goals since 2001

What Are Lifestyle Diseases? Causes Beyond Lifestyle and Long-Term Care

Lifestyle diseases are long-term conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Learn what drives them beyond habits and how they are managed.

Key takeaways

  • Lifestyle diseases are long-term conditions, lasting a year or more, that do not spread from person to person.
  • In a 2023 CDC study, 76.4% of US adults reported at least one of 12 chronic conditions.
  • Get checked: USPSTF advises diabetes screening at 35 to 70 with overweight or obesity, and yearly blood pressure checks from 40 or with higher risk.
  • In adults with raised blood sugar, a lifestyle program aiming for 7% weight loss cut new diabetes cases by 58% over about 2.8 years.

Lifestyle diseases are usually long-lasting conditions that do not spread from person to person. Health agencies call them chronic diseases or noncommunicable diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a chronic disease as one that lasts a year or more and needs ongoing medical attention or limits daily activities.

About three in four US adults reported at least one of 12 selected chronic conditions in 2023, according to a 2025 CDC study. At ages 35 to 64, the share was about eight in 10.

The name points to habits, and habits do affect risk. Genes, age, environment, income, and access to care also shape who develops these conditions. Doctors find them with tests and track them with repeat checks.

Conditions called lifestyle diseases

All conditions known as lifestyle diseases.

Sources vary on which conditions they include under the term, but these are commonly listed:

The label does not describe type 1 diabetes.

The table gives US figures overall and, where published, for a middle age band. The bands differ by row.

ConditionUS figureWho is countedYearsSource
At least one of 12 chronic conditions76.4%; 78.4% at ages 35 to 64Adults 18+, self-reported2023CDC study (Watson 2025)
High blood pressure (systolic ≥130 mm Hg, diastolic ≥80 mm Hg, or taking antihypertensive medication)47.7%; 52.5% at ages 40 to 59Adults 18+2021 to 2023NCHS Data Brief 511
Obesity (body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher)40.3%; 46.4% at ages 40 to 59Adults 20+2021 to 2023NCHS Data Brief 508
Diabetes, diagnosed and undiagnosed12.0%, about 40.1 million peopleUS population2023CDC diabetes report
Prediabetes (blood sugar above normal but below the diabetes range)About 115.2 million; 48.6% at ages 45 to 64Adults 18+2021 to 2023CDC diabetes report
High total cholesterol (240 mg/dL or higher)11.3%; 16.7% at ages 40 to 59Adults 20+2021 to 2023NCHS Data Brief 515
Chronic kidney disease14%, about 37 million; 13% at ages 45 to 64Adults 18+2021 to 2023CDC kidney disease report
Fatty liver disease (MASLD)25.5%Adults 18+2021 to 2023Study of CDC survey data (Attia 2025)
Moderate to severe sleep apnea10% of men and 3% of women aged 30 to 49US adults (modeled)2007 to 2010Peppard 2013
Cancers associated with overweight and obesity13 types, 40% of cancers diagnosed each yearUS cancer diagnosesCurrent CDC statementCDC Obesity and Cancer

The rows come from different surveys, years, and age bands, so they should not be compared directly or added together. CDC publishes no fatty liver or sleep apnea figure, so those rows come from published studies.

What causes lifestyle diseases besides lifestyle

An image showing what can cause lifestyle diseases, from family genes to what we eat every day.

CDC’s chronic disease overview states that many chronic diseases are caused by a short list of risk factors. The four are smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use. Some groups are more affected than others, CDC adds, because of factors that limit their ability to make healthy choices.

Genes and family history

Family history raises the risk of several conditions in this group. CDC says family history reflects shared genes, habits, and environment.

For example, a 38-year-old whose parent and sibling both had heart attacks before 55 has a family history that raises risk. CDC counts as family history either more than one affected close relative or a relative who got the disease younger than usual.

About 1 million US adults have familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), an inherited form of high cholesterol that often cannot be treated with lifestyle changes alone. FH causes very high LDL cholesterol from a young age, and people with it may need medicine, according to CDC’s cholesterol risk page.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) says hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid, can contribute to high cholesterol. Its most common cause is Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says sleep apnea can be inherited because genes shape the skull, face, and upper airway. Genes may also explain some of the racial and ethnic differences in fatty liver disease, NIDDK says.

In a 2016 study of 55,685 US and Swedish adults, high genetic risk was linked to nearly twice the relative risk of coronary heart disease. In that high-risk group, a favorable lifestyle was linked to a 46% lower relative risk than an unfavorable one. The study was observational, so it shows links, not cause.

Age

Many of these conditions become more common with age. Nearly one in four adults aged 18 to 39 had high blood pressure in 2021 to 2023, compared with about half aged 40 to 59. CDC lists age 45 or older as a type 2 diabetes risk factor that cannot be changed.

Where people live, work, and earn

Environment and income affect who develops these conditions. CDC groups these factors under social determinants of health, the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age.

In 2021 to 2023, self-reported diagnosed diabetes was about 2.4 times as common in the lowest family income group as in the highest, according to CDC’s diabetes statistics report.

Obesity affected more than four in 10 adults with a high school diploma or less in 2021 to 2023, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). It affected about three in 10 adults with a bachelor’s degree or more.

In 2020, adults with higher family incomes met federal activity guidelines more often. In 2019, adults with low incomes were the least likely to eat enough vegetables.

In the Moving to Opportunity experiment, 4,498 women with children in high-poverty US public housing were randomly assigned between 1994 and 1998. Some were offered vouchers to move to low-poverty areas. Ten to 15 years later, the voucher group had modestly lower rates of severe obesity and diabetes-range A1C (a blood test of average blood sugar over two to three months) than the comparison group, according to a 2011 study.

Access to care

Access to care affects whether these conditions are found. About one in nine adults aged 18 to 64 (11.6%) had no health insurance in 2025, according to NCHS. Rural doctor shortages, hospital closures, and long distances make screenings and specialist care harder to get, CDC says.

A 2018 study of CDC survey data from 2011 to 2014 linked having no health insurance to undiagnosed diabetes and high cholesterol. A recent health care visit was tied to lower odds of undiagnosed high blood pressure and diabetes.

CDC estimates 14% of US adults have chronic kidney disease, and about nine in 10 of them do not know it.

Consider a 34-year-old whose blood pressure is consistently 132/84 mm Hg has high blood pressure by CDC’s threshold of systolic ≥130 mm Hg or diastolic ≥80 mm Hg. Among adults 18 to 39 with high blood pressure, only about one in four knew they had it in 2021 to 2023, according to NCHS survey data.

Smoking, diet, activity, and alcohol

Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, COPD and other lung diseases, and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to CDC. Nearly one in five US adults (19.8%) reported current tobacco product use in 2022.

Poor nutrition and physical inactivity are risk factors for obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers, according to CDC. CDC also links excessive alcohol use to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and some cancers.

As noted earlier, physical activity and vegetable intake both differ by income.

Managing a lifestyle disease over time

Lifestyle diseases last a year or more by definition, so care usually continues over time. CDC’s advice for living with a chronic condition includes eating well, staying active, and following a treatment plan that may include regular blood sugar or blood pressure checks.

US guidelines recommend screening for these groups:

  • The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends prediabetes and type 2 diabetes screening for adults 35 to 70 with overweight or obesity.
  • USPSTF recommends yearly blood pressure screening from age 40 or with increased risk, and every three to five years for other adults 18 to 39 with a prior normal reading.
  • Most healthy adults should have cholesterol checked every four to six years, and more often with heart disease, diabetes, or a family history of high cholesterol, according to CDC.

Consider a 45-year-old who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 210 pounds is in CDC’s obesity range, which starts at 203 pounds for that height. That puts the person in the USPSTF diabetes screening group.

In 2021 to 2023, about one in five adults with high blood pressure had it controlled below 130/80 mm Hg (NCHS). About half took medicine for it.

The Diabetes Prevention Program trial enrolled 3,234 adults with raised blood sugar and an average age of 51. Its lifestyle program aimed for at least 7% weight loss and 150 minutes of activity a week. Over about 2.8 years, the program lowered new cases of diabetes by 58% compared with a placebo, according to the 2002 trial report.

The trial’s goal of at least 7% weight loss works out to 14 pounds for a person who weighs 200 pounds.

CDC’s diabetes report says part of the rise in diabetes since the 2001 to 2004 survey period may reflect people living longer with it. The report credits better self-management, lifestyle programs, treatment, and health care.

Test results that define these conditions

The table lists the cutoffs CDC and NCHS use for these conditions.

MeasureNormalBorderline or prediabetesHigh or diagnosisSource
A1CBelow 5.7%5.7% to 6.4%6.5% or higherCDC
Fasting blood sugar99 mg/dL or below100 to 125 mg/dL126 mg/dL or higherCDC
Blood pressureBelow 120/80 mm Hg—Consistently 130/80 mm Hg or higherCDC
BMI—25 to under 30 (overweight)30 or higher (obesity)CDC
Total cholesterol—200-239 mg/dL is borderline high (CDC)240 mg/dL or higher is considered high (NCHS prevalence cutoff)CDC; NCHS

What is tirzepatide used for in lifestyle diseases?

Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound.

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) activates both GIP and GLP-1 receptors. What is tirzepatide used for? It is approved for type 2 diabetes. It is also approved for weight reduction and long-term maintenance, and for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. Studies have tested it for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in people with obesity and for MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis), which is a form of fatty liver disease. Those uses are not on the supplied US labels.

ProductUses on the US labelWho
MounjaroImprove blood sugar control with diet and exerciseAdults and children ages 10 and older with type 2 diabetes
Reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, including cardiovascular death, nonfatal heart attack, or nonfatal strokeAdults with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for these events
ZepboundReduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long termAdults with obesity, or adults with overweight and at least one weight-related comorbid condition
Treat moderate to severe obstructive sleep apneaAdults with obesity

Zepbound’s label specifies use with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Two phase 3 randomized trials included adults with obesity and moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. The trials enrolled 469 adults and were 52 weeks long. Tirzepatide reduced the apnea-hypopnea index compared with placebo. People with type 2 diabetes were excluded from these trials.

Tirzepatide has been studied for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in people with obesity, but this use is not approved in the supplied labels. The SUMMIT trial enrolled 731 people and followed them for a median of 104 weeks. Death from cardiovascular causes or a worsening heart-failure event occurred in 9.9% of participants given tirzepatide, compared with 15.3% given placebo.

Researchers have also studied it for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, with moderate or severe fibrosis. In the phase 2 SYNERGY-NASH trial, participants were assigned to receive tirzepatide for 52 weeks. MASH resolved without worsening fibrosis in 44% of participants on 5 mg of tirzepatide. The rates were 56% for 10 mg and 62% for 15 mg. This compares with 10% given placebo.

Mounjaro carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors. Tirzepatide causes these tumors in male and female rats in a dose- and duration-dependent way at clinically relevant exposures, but it is unknown whether it causes them in humans. Mounjaro is contraindicated for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or with multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2.

Read the Mounjaro prescribing information and Zepbound prescribing information for full details.

Are lifestyle diseases contagious?

Lifestyle diseases are not contagious. They can cluster in families because relatives share genes, habits, and environment.

A 2014 review of six studies linked a spouse’s diabetes to about a 26% higher diabetes risk in the other spouse. The authors point to a shared environment, since spouses are not blood relatives. Both partners had high blood pressure in 37.9% of US couples in a 2016 to 2017 survey of middle-aged and older adults.

The split between communicable and noncommunicable diseases has exceptions. Some cancers counted as noncommunicable can be caused by infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV).

How lifestyle diseases are counted

US diagnosis codes (ICD-10-CM) have no code for “lifestyle disease.” Z72 codes record “problems related to lifestyle,” such as tobacco use and lack of physical exercise. Z59 codes record circumstances such as low income, food insecurity, and insufficient health insurance. The coding system lists them next to behaviors.

The UN Sustainable Development Goal target 3.4 aims to cut premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases by one third by 2030. Its indicator is the chance of dying between ages 30 and 70 from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease.

Heart disease was the leading cause of death in the United States in 2024, according to NCHS.

Frequently asked questions

What is another name for lifestyle diseases?

Other names for lifestyle diseases are chronic diseases and noncommunicable diseases. Noncommunicable means a disease does not spread between people.

What are the most common lifestyle diseases?

Common lifestyle diseases in US adults include high blood pressure and obesity, according to NCHS surveys from 2021 to 2023. Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, diabetes, chronic liver disease, and kidney disease were among the 10 leading US causes of death in 2024.

Can lifestyle diseases be reversed?

Some conditions or metabolic abnormalities associated with lifestyle diseases can be reversed, go into remission, or controlled, though not in every person. CDC says prediabetes can be reversed, which prevents or delays type 2 diabetes. Some people can also control their blood pressure with lifestyle changes or medicines, according to CDC.

This page summarizes US figures and research on groups of people. It does not tell any individual what tests, diet, or medicine to use.

Sources

Open the archive, 2001–2015
Full list of goals and indicators