India, Sep 29: Young age and a healthy weight may not always translate into a healthy heart. A new health assessment by ekincare, India’s integrated digital health benefits platform, finds that cardiovascular risk is visible much earlier among India Inc.’s workforce, with several health markers showing potential risks even among employees under the age of 35.

The Young Workforce Heart Health Report 2026, based on health check-up data from 2 lakh employees, highlights that 58.5% of employees under 35 were flagged on cardiovascular risk markers. The findings challenge the common assumption that heart health becomes a concern only in the 40s and 50s. The report also finds that 60% of employees under 35 with a normal BMI had at least one other flagged health marker, particularly cholesterol-related measures. This suggests that while BMI can indicate whether an individual is within a healthy weight range, it does not capture the full picture of cardiovascular risk.

• 58.5% of employees under 35 flagged for cardiovascular risk: The findings show that heart health concerns are visible much earlier than the commonly associated 40s and 50s.
• Blood sugar emerges as the key area of concern: While cholesterol and blood pressure markers eased since 2023, blood sugar risk increased by 4.3 percentage points, with a sharp rise recorded in 2024.
• A normal BMI can mask other risks: Among under-35 employees with a normal BMI, 60% still showed another flagged health marker, particularly cholesterol-related measures.
• Risk varies across age groups: Millennials aged 28–40 recorded a higher flagged risk rate than Gen Z employees aged 20–27, with an 18.4 percentage-point gap.
• Men show higher cardiovascular risk than women: 67.6% of men were flagged compared with 53.2% of women, a 14.4 percentage-point gap.
• Metro employees show slightly higher risk: Cardiovascular risk was 63.1% among employees using providers in metro locations, compared with 59.0% in non-metro locations.
• Gen Z shows a mixed health trajectory: While overall risk trends among young employees have not increased, Gen Z employees aged 20–27 saw two health markers move up, HDL cholesterol by 7.4 points and blood sugar by 1.3 points since 2023. Meanwhile, Millennials saw improvement across every marker measured.
• Repeat health checks show measurable improvement: Among employees who returned for a second health check, 43% showed improvement compared with 19.8% who declined meaning about twice as many employees improved as declined.

Commenting on the findings, Kiran Kalakuntla, CEO & Co-founder, ekincare, said:

“The future of preventive healthcare is about predicting risk early, not waiting for it to become a diagnosis. This data shows why age and BMI alone are not enough. With AI and predictive analytics, we can identify emerging risks earlier and enable timely, personalised interventions, helping employees act before a risk becomes a serious health condition.”

The findings point to the need for a more comprehensive approach to young workforce health, one that looks beyond age and BMI to track key health markers over time. With blood sugar emerging as the one marker moving in the wrong direction, earlier monitoring, along with cholesterol and blood sugar screening, can help organisations identify risks that may otherwise go unnoticed. For India Inc., the focus needs to move beyond weight-based wellness checks towards a more holistic understanding of employee health and timely prevention.