A correct lifestyle is essential for improve cardiovascular health and prolong life expectancy by enjoying more years without chronic diseases or ailments. To facilitate these healthy decisions on a day-to-day basis, the American Heart Association (AHA) devised the system known as ‘Life’s Essential 8‘, eight essential tips to take care of the heart that cover multiple aspects of general health.
Now, two studies corroborate that the higher the score when it comes to meeting the ‘Life’s Essential 8’, the longer the life, and the better the quality. Those who most faithfully follow these recommendations come to live up to 8 years more on averageaccording to the presentation of the conclusions in the Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2023 from Boston.
Last summer, the American Heart Association (AHA) updated its metrics from seven to eight: the sleep thus became a requirement for optimal cardiovascular health. Thus he added to the four indicators of cardiometabolic health (low blood pressure, low cholesterol, low sugar levels and an adequate body mass index) and the other three lifestyle indicators (avoid smoking, physical activity and follow a proper diet).
(Doctor Longo, the sage of longevity: “I don’t know any centenarian who hasn’t drunk alcohol”)
In the first of the studies, it was analyzed whether the parameters estimated in the ‘Life’s Essential 8’ would be associated with a greater life expectancy free of chronic diseases, especially the type 2 diabetes, cancer or dementia. The team led by researcher Xuan Wang, a biostatistician in the Department of Epidemiology at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at the University of New Orleans, analyzed data from 136,599 adults registered in the UK Biobank with no previous chronic ailments, and applied a score.
As determined, a score below 50/100 would imply “poor cardiovascular health”; a score of 50/100 to 80/100 would be “intermediate health”; and a score of 80/100 or higher would mean “ideal health”. By comparing life expectancy and disease-free years between the groups, the scientists came to the following conclusions:
– An “ideal health” score at age 50 would be associated with more disease-free life years than a score of 50/100 or less. Both men and women would respectively have to live an average 5.2 and 6.3 years more than total life free of disease, compared to those with poor cardiovascular health.
– Adults with ideal cardiovascular health lived longer time without chronic disease: almost 76% of the total life expectancy in men, and more than 83% in women. In comparison, in the group with poor cardiovascular health, disease-free life expectancy was 64.9% for men and 69.4% for women.
In addition, it was assessed that the health impact of having a low socioeconomic status can compensate maintaining an “ideal” cardiovascular health score for all adults.
On the other hand, the second study analyzed whether the parameters estimated in ‘Life’s Essential 8’ would be associated with a longer life expectancy. This case used data from 23,000 US adults who participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Based on this work, the following conclusions could be drawn:
– In adults who reach 50 years on average, an additional life expectancy of 33.4 more years of life is calculated -up to 83.4 years– if you have an “ideal” cardiovascular health. By comparison, the hope for adults aged 50 and older with poor cardiovascular health would be an additional 25.3 years: up to the 75.3.
– Adults with “ideal” cardiovascular health would gain approximately up to 8.1 years longer on average (7.5 years longer for men and 8.9 years longer for women) compared to those with poor cardiovascular health.
– More than 40% of life expectancy after the age of 50 could be explained by good heart health. That is, by reducing the incidence of cardiovascular mortality.
According to the authors of this study, led by Hao Ma -also a biostatistician in epidemiology from the same department as Wang- this would indicate that maintaining a good level of cardiovascular health would contribute to longer life expectancy. Even so, they explain, more research will be necessary in this regard.
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