Prevention & lipidsCohort study
Cumulative Life’s Essential 8 Scores and Cardiovascular Disease Risk
- Prospective cohort study
- 4 US centres
Authors' conclusion
Greater cumulative CVH and improvement in CVH during young adulthood, as well as better CVH in middle age, were all independently associated with lower risk for incident CVD in midlife.
Study context
- Population
- CARDIA participants, 4 US centres, 1985–2020; cumulative LE8 score from age 18 to 45 years
- Participants
- 4,832 participants
- Exposure
- Cumulative LE8 score quartiles
- Outcome
- Incident CVD and all-cause mortality
- Follow-up
- After age 45 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Each group vs Q1Hazard ratio (95% CI)
Q2CVD
0.44(0.32–0.61)
Q3CVD
0.26(0.18–0.38)
Q4CVD
0.12(0.07–0.21)
Q2mortality
0.51(0.36–0.71)
Q3mortality
0.38(0.26–0.55)
Q4mortality
0.29(0.18–0.45)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), cumulative LE8 score and LE8 score at age 45 years in one model
- Both significantly associated with lower CVD risk
Incident CVD, cumulative LE8 score and LE8 score slope from age 18 to 45 years
- Both cumulative score and positive (improving) slope significantly associated with lower CVD hazards
Original publication
Cumulative Life’s Essential 8 Scores and Cardiovascular Disease Risk. JAMA Cardiol. Published 1 July 2025. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2025.0630
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it