Published Apr 16, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 16, 2026 | 7:00 AM
Heart health. Representative image.
Synopsis: Kerala appears to have lower rates of dyslipidemia, meaning fewer people show unhealthy blood fat levels compared to its neighbours. However, doctors caution that the data may not fully reflect reality, as screening patterns and sample sizes can affect these numbers.
A recent analysis of clinical data in South India has revealed something surprising, a result that doctors did not expect.
According to the Apollo Hospitals Health of the Nation Report 2026, just 38 percent of those screened in Kerala have dyslipidemia — far lower than 63.2 percent in Tamil Nadu and an even steeper 70.6 percent in Telangana. On paper, it almost reads like a success story.
However, that reading doesn’t sit comfortably with doctors.
Dyslipidemia, a condition having unhealthy levels of fats in the blood, such as cholesterol and triglycerides, can silently build up in blood vessels and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke over time.
Dr Vijayakumar Subban, Cardiologist at Apollo Hospital Chennai, who was part of the team behind the dataset, pointed out that Kerala has historically reported a high burden of heart disease — something that doesn’t quite match its lower lipid disorder numbers.
“Larger populations, wider hospital networks, and higher patient volumes in states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana inevitably feed into the dataset more heavily,” he told South First.
Which means the first takeaway is also the most important one: These numbers are not just measuring disease. They are also reflecting who shows up in the data.
In Tamil Nadu, nearly 29 percent of those screened are diabetic, a sharp jump from Kerala’s 18.5 percent. Telangana follows at 25.5 percent, while Andhra Pradesh reports 27 percent. Even in Karnataka, often seen as somewhere in the middle, diabetes stands at 23 percent.
According to Dr Subban, this pattern could be linked to carbohydrate-heavy diets, particularly in states where rice dominates daily consumption, often with relatively lower protein intake.
Look closer at cities, and the intensity becomes harder to ignore. In Madurai, more than a third of those screened — 36.4 percent — are diabetic. Thiruchirappally and Karaikudi are not far behind, both crossing 34 percent, while Hyderabad holds at 25.3 percent, showing how widespread the burden is across urban centres.
And yet, when it comes to dyslipidemia, the same states tell an entirely different story. Telangana climbs to 70.6 percent, Tamil Nadu to 63.2 percent, and Karnataka to 52.4 percent, while Andhra Pradesh sits at 56.7 percent. Cities like Thiruchirappally reach as high as 76.6 percent, and Hyderabad mirrors the state average at 70.6 percent.
This, as Dr Subban pointed out, is where the data becomes harder to explain — because clinically, states like Kerala are expected to show higher lipid levels, suggesting that factors such as sample size and patient volume may also be shaping these outcomes.
So within the same geography, two parallel realities unfold — one driven by high blood sugar, the other by unhealthy lipid levels — and they don’t always overlap in expected ways.
Part of this divergence can be traced back to everyday habits.
In states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana, diets are heavily built around rice and carbohydrates, often with lower protein intake. Over time, this pattern is closely linked with rising diabetes — something the numbers reflect quite consistently across both states and cities.
Kerala, however, presents a slightly different picture. With fish forming a regular part of the diet, there is a perception — and sometimes evidence — of better metabolic balance, at least in terms of blood sugar.
That could be one reason why its diabetes rate remains lower than its neighbours.
But this is where the story resists easy conclusions.
Kerala’s widespread use of coconut oil, long associated with higher cardiovascular risk, should theoretically push lipid levels upward. Doctors have, for years, linked this to the state’s high incidence of heart disease.
This makes the relatively lower dyslipidemia figure in this dataset harder to explain through diet alone.
“The food patterns help explain the diabetes divide, but they fall short of fully accounting for the cholesterol paradox,” Dr Subban added.
What emerges from this dataset is not a simple ranking of healthier and unhealthier states, but a more layered reality.
In Kerala, lower dyslipidemia sits alongside a high hypertension prevalence rate of 30.6 percent and significant obesity rates. Tamil Nadu and Telangana show a heavier burden of both diabetes and lipid disorders, while Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh fall somewhere in between, but follow the same broader trend.
“This appears to be an outlier and is difficult to explain, because clinically, one would expect the trend to be the opposite,” said Dr Subban, referring to the unexpected patterns in lipid levels.
The numbers, in other words, are not contradictory — they are incomplete on their own.
Beyond percentages and comparisons, they point to a region steadily moving toward lifestyle-driven health risks, shaped as much by diet and daily habits as by how — and where — people are screened.
The danger is not just in the diseases themselves, but in assuming the data tells the whole story.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
