"Using data from the long-running Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, which has followed more than 5,000 adults across the U.S. over the past 35 years, researchers found that individuals whose cardiovascular health declined between their 20s and 40s were up to ten times more likely to develop heart disease by their 60s than those who maintained or improved their heart health. The study's results are published in JAMA Network Open."
"Investigators assessed participants' heart health using the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8), a measure that combines eight key factors known to support and define cardiovascular well-being (diet, physical activity, sleep, body mass index, blood cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and avoiding tobacco exposure) into a single score ranging from 0 to 100. A higher score reflects better cardiovascular health."
Data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study followed more than 5,000 adults across the U.S. for 35 years. Cardiovascular health was measured with the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8), a 0–100 score combining diet, physical activity, sleep, body mass index, blood cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and tobacco exposure. Four young-adult LE8 trajectories emerged: persistently high, persistently moderate, moderately declining, and moderate-to-low declining. Individuals whose LE8 scores declined between their 20s and 40s were up to ten times more likely to develop heart disease by their 60s than those who maintained or improved scores. Improvements in cardiovascular health during young adulthood reduced future heart disease risk, with earlier and sustained healthy behaviors yielding the greatest long-term benefits.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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