Study Papers

2025

• Forgiveness and health across racial-ethnic cohorts: exploring the conditioning roles of religious attendance and closeness to God in the study on stress, spirituality, and health. Mental Health, Religion & Culture.

• Association of Diastolic Blood Pressure and Coronary Artery Calcium in South Asian American Adults.

• Religious affiliations, religious practices, and health behaviors in U.S. South Asians.

• Classifying COVID-19 Related Hospitalizations and Deaths.

2024

• Concordance Between DASH Diet and Coronary Artery Calcification: Results From the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Prospective Cohort Study.

• Profiles of cardiometabolic risk and acculturation indicators among South Asians in the US: Latent class analysis of the MASALA study.

• Predictors of weight and waist gain in US South Asians: Findings from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study

• Inverse association between total bilirubin and type 2 diabetes in U.S. South Asian males but not females. 

• Association of cardiovascular health with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis progression among five racial and ethnic groups: The MASALA and MESA studies. 

• Do religion and spirituality buffer the effect of childhood trauma on depressive symptoms? Examination of a South Asian cohort from the USA. 

• Epidemiologic features of recovery from SARS-CoV infection. 

• Metabolite profiles of plant-based diets and cardiometabolic risk in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study. 

• Dietary Patterns in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study: Comparisons Across Methodologies.

• Comparing coronary artery cross‑sectional area among asymptomatic South Asian, White, and Black participants: the MASALA and CARDIA studies.

• Adipose Tissue-Derived Metabolite Risk Scores and Risk For Type 2 Diabetes in South Asians. 

• Social and Psychosocial Determinants of Racial and Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Health: The MASALA and MESA Studies. 

• Demographic and Clinical Factors Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Spike 1 Antibody Response Among Vaccinated US Adults: the C4R Study.

2023

• Does Religious Service Attendance Modify the Relationship between Everyday Discrimination and Risk of Obesity? Results from the Study on Stress, Spirituality and Health.

• Association of lipoprotein subfractions with incidence of type 2 diabetes among five U.S. Race and Ethnic groups: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) and Multi-Ethnic study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).  

• Examining the Relationship Between Multilevel Resilience Resources and Cardiovascular Disease Incidence, Overall and by Psychosocial Risks, Among Participants in the Jackson Heart Study, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study

• Association of Diabetes with Coronary Artery Calcium in South Asian Adults and Other Race/Ethnic Groups: The Multi-Ethnic Study on Atherosclerosis (MESA) and the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study.

• Why Is Religious Attendance Linked to More Anxiety in U.S. South Asians? The Mediating Role of Congregational Neglect

• Concordance between Dash Diet and Hypertension: Results from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study

• Cardiovascular health by Life’s Essential 8 and associations with coronary artery calcium in South Asian American adults in the MASALA Study. Am J Cardiol.

• Body mass index in young adulthood and mid-life cardiovascular risk factors in South Asian American adults: The MASALA Study. 

• Associations of Discrimination, Low Social Support, and Limited English Proficiency with Depression in South Asian Immigrants. 

• Association of American identity with cardiovascular health in South Asian Americans: The MASALA Study.  

• A South Asian Mediterranean-style diet is associated with favorable adiposity measures and lower diabetes risk: The MASALA cohort.  

• Religion/Spirituality and Prevalent Hypertension among Ethnic Cohorts in the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health. 

• A Multilevel Framework to Investigate Cardiovascular Health Disparities among South Asian Immigrants in the United States. 

• Examining the relationship between multilevel resilience resources and cardiovascular disease incidence overall and by psychosocial risks among participants in JHS, MESA, and MASALA.  

2022

• Cardiovascular Risk-Enhancing Factors and Coronary Artery Calcium in South Asian American Adults: The MASALA Study

• Social support, psychological risks, and cardiovascular health: Using harmonized data from JHS, MASALA, and MESA.

• Liver, visceral and subcutaneous fat in men and women of South Asian and white European descent: a systematic review and meta-analysis of new and published data

• Examining relationships between perceived neighborhood social cohesion and ideal cardiovascular health and whether psychosocial stressors modify observed relationships among JHS, MESA, and MASALA participants

• A healthy plant-based diet is favorably associated with cardiometabolic risk factors among participants of South Asian ancestry

• Diet Patterns Are Associated with Circulating Metabolites and Lipid Profiles of South Asians in the United States

• Psychological Symptoms as Mediators in the Association between Discrimination and Health among South Asian Americans 

• Coronary artery calcium incidence and changes using direct plaque measurements: The MASALA study

• Association of Coronary Artery Calcium Density and Volume with Predicted Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in South Asians: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study

• Relationship of American Heart Association’s Life Simple 7, Ectopic Fat and Insulin Resistance in 5 racial/ethnic groups

• Relation of Menopause with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in South Asian American Women (From the MASALA Study)

• Associations of NAFLD with Circulating Ceramides and Impaired Glycemia

• Collaborative Cohort of Cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R) Study: Study Design.
  

2021

• Cardiovascular risk factor profiles in North and South Indian and Pakistani Americans: The MASALA Study

• Implications of the 2019 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Primary Prevention Guidelines and potential value of the coronary artery calcium score among South Asians in the US: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study

• The Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health (SSSH): Psychometric Evaluation and Initial Validation of the SSSH Baseline Spirituality Survey.

• Cardiovascular Health and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Second Generation South Asian Americans: The MASALA Study.

• Associations between Cumulative Biological Risk and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Middle- and Older-Aged South Asian Immigrants in the United States.

• Distribution and Correlates of Incident Heart Failure Risk in South Asian Americans: The MASALA Study.

• Association of Social Network Characteristics With Cardiovascular Health and Coronary Artery Calcium in South Asian Adults in the United States: The MASALA Cohort Study

• Hypertension guidelines and coronary artery calcification among South Asians: Results from MASALA and MESA

• Plasma protein expression profiles, cardiovascular disease, and religious struggles among South Asians in the MASALA study

2020

• Association of diabetes subgroups with race/ethnicity, risk factor burden and complications: the MASALA and MESA studies.

• Depression, religiosity, and telomere length in the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health (SSSH).

• The association between dairy intake and body composition among South Asian adults from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study.

• Circulating metabolites and lipids are associated with glycaemic measures in South Asians.

• Association of Alcohol Consumption and Ideal Cardiovascular Health among South Asians: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study.

• Physical and sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence and leukocyte telomere length: A pooled analysis of the study on psychosocial stress, spirituality, and health.

• Distribution of Calcium Volume, Density, Number, and Type of Coronary Vessel with Calcified Plaque in South Asians in the US and other Race/Ethnic Groups: The MASALA and MESA Studies

• Lipoprotein (a) and Aortic Valve Calcium in South Asians Compared to Other Race/Ethnic Groups

• Social network characteristics are correlated with dietary patterns among middle aged and older South Asians living in the United States (U.S.)

• Incidence of diabetes and prediabetes and predictors of glycemic change among South Asians in the USA: the MASALA study

• Self-Rated Religiosity/Spirituality and Four Health Outcomes Among U.S. South Asians: Findings from the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health

• Acculturation is Associated with Dietary Patterns in South Asians in America

• Differences in Diet Quality among Multiple US Racial/Ethnic Groups from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

• Social influence of adult children on parental health behavior among South Asian immigrants: findings from the MASALA (Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America) study

• The relationship of acculturation to cardiovascular disease risk factors among U.S. South Asians: Findings from the MASALA study

• Linkage between neighborhood social cohesion and BMI of South Asians in the MASALA Study.

2019

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in the United States.

• Association of Social Networks and Physical Activity in South Asians: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Cohort Study.

• Methods to Account for Uncertainty in Latent Class Assignments When Using Latent Classes as Predictors in Regression Models, with Application to Acculturation Strategy Measures.

• Private religion/spirituality, self-rated health, and mental health among US South Asians.

• Mental health and self-rated health among U.S. South Asians: the role of religious group involvement.

• Isolated HbA1c identifies a different subgroup of individuals with type 2 diabetes compared to fasting or post-challenge glucose in Asian Indians: The CARRS and MASALA studies

• Recruitment and retention of US South Asians for an epidemiologic cohort: Experience from the MASALA study

• Vegetarian diet is inversely associated with prevalence of depression in middle-older aged South Asians in the United States

• The association of religious affiliation with cholesterol levels among South Asians: the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America study

• Body Composition and Diabetes Risk in South Asians: Findings From the MASALA and MESA Studies

• Evaluating the Potential Association Between Lipoprotein(a) and Atherosclerosis (from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis Among South Asians Living in America Cohort)

• Incidence and Progression of Coronary Artery Calcium in South Asians Compared With 4 Race/Ethnic Groups

2018

• Vegetarian Diets Are Associated with Selected Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among Middle-Older Aged South Asians in the United States

• Discordance between 10-year cardiovascular risk estimates using the ACC/AHA 2013 estimator and coronary artery calcium in individuals from 5 racial/ethnic groups: Comparing MASALA and MESA

• Prevalence of low-calorie sweetener intake in South Asian adults

• Social network body size is associated with body size norms of South Asian adults

• Associations Between Television Viewing and Adiposity Among South Asians

• Inflammation and coronary artery calcification in South Asians: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study.

• Personal Social Networks and Organizational Affiliation of South Asians in the United States.

2017

• Relation of Ectopic Fat with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score in South Asians Living in the United States (from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America [MASALA] Study)

• Risk of obstructive sleep apnoea is associated with glycaemia status in South Asian men and women in the United States

• Are Experiences of Discrimination Related to Poorer Dietary Intakes Among South Asians in the MASALA Study?

• Family History of CHD Is Associated With Severe CAC in South Asians

• Acculturation Strategies and Symptoms of Depression: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study

• Cardiometabolic Abnormalities Among Normal-Weight Persons From Five Racial/Ethnic Groups in the United States

• Type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes mellitus in South Asian women in the United States

• Prevalence of chronic kidney disease and risk factors for its progression: A cross-sectional comparison of Indians living in Indian versus U.S. cities

• Cardiovascular health metrics among South Asian adults in the United States: Prevalence and associations with subclinical atherosclerosis

2016

• Ectopic Fat Depots and Coronary Artery Calcium in South Asians Compared With Other Racial/Ethnic Groups

• The Relationship between anthropometry and body composition from computed tomography: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Study.

• Self-Reported Discrimination and Mental Health Among Asian Indians: Cultural Beliefs and Coping Style as Moderators

• The Association of Religious Affiliation with Overweight/Obesity among South Asians: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study.

• Neighborhood Walkability and Walking for Transport Among South Asians in the MASALA Study.

• Use of web-based methods for follow-up and collection of patient reported outcome measures in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Study.

• Associations Between Discrimination and Cardiovascular Health Among Asian Indians in the United States.

• Acculturation Strategies Among South Asian Immigrants: the MASALA Study.

• Psychosocial factors and subclinical atherosclerosis in South Asians: the MASALA Study.

2015

• Neighborhood Social Cohesion and Prevalence of Hypertension and Diabetes in a South Asian Population.

• Optimum BMI cut-points to screen Asian Americans for type 2 diabetes.

• Dietary patterns are associated with metabolic risk factors in South Asians living in the United States.

• Comparing type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and their associated risk factors in Asian Indians in India and in the U.S.: the CARRS and MASALA Studies.

• Dietary intakes among South Asian adults differ by length of residence in the USA.

• Less favorable body composition and adipokines in South Asians compared to other U.S. ethnic groups: results from the MASALA and MESA Studies.

2014

• Correlates of prediabetes and type II diabetes in US South Asians: findings from the MASALA Study.

• Comparing coronary artery calcium among U.S. South Asians with four racial/ethnic groups: the MASALA and MESA studies.

• Understanding the high prevalence of diabetes in U.S. South Asians compared to four racial/ethnic groups: the MASALA and MESA studies.

• Acculturation and subclinical atherosclerosis among U.S. South Asians: Findings from the MASALA study.

• Association of 10-year and lifetime predicted cardiovascular disease risk with subclinical atherosclerosis in South Asians: findings from the MASALA Study.

2013

• Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study: Objectives, design, and cohort description.

Pilot Study Papers

2019

• Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Their Relationship to Hepatic Fat and Insulin Insensitivity among Asian Indian Immigrants in the United States

2018

• Dietary Patterns among Asian Indians Living in the United States Have Distinct Metabolomic Profiles That Are Associated with Cardiometabolic Risk

• Vitamin D Levels, Body Composition, and Metabolic Factors in Asian Indians: Results from the Metabolic Syndrome and Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Pilot Study

2015

• The association between body composition and cystatin C in South Asians: results from the MASALA Study

• Endogenous sex hormones and glucose in a South Asian population without diabetes: the Metabolic Syndrome and Atherosclerosis in South-Asians Living in America pilot study.

• Obesity and depression among Asian Indians in the United States: results from the MASALA study.

• Circulating microRNAs associated with glycemic impairment and progression in Asian Indians.

• Endogenous sex steroid hormones, lipid subfractions, and ectopic adiposity in Asian Indians.

2014

• The relative associations of β-cell function and insulin sensitivity with glycemic status and glycemic progression in migrant Asian Indians in the United States: the MASALA study.

• Dietary patterns in Asian Indians in the United States: an analysis of the metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Study.

2013

• Glycemic associations with endothelial function and biomarkers among 5 ethnic groups: the MESA and MASALA Studies.

• Asian Indian views on diet and health in the United States: importance of understanding cultural and social factors to address disparities.

2011

• Adipokines and body fat composition in South Asians: results of the Metabolic Syndrome and Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study.

2010

• Prevalence and correlates of diabetes in South Asian Indians in the United States: findings from the Metabolic Syndrome and Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Study and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

• Higher protein intake is associated with diabetes risk in South Asian Indians: the Metabolic Syndrome and Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study.

• BMD reference standards among South Asians in the United States.