High cardiovascular health tied to longer life expectancy free of disease

A high level of cardiovascular health (CVH) is associated with longer life expectancy free of major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online Feb. 27 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Xuan Wang, M.D., Ph.D., from Tulane University in New Orleans, and colleagues quantified the associations between levels of CVH estimated by the American Heart Association Life's Essential 8 (LE8) metrics with life expectancy free of major chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia) in a cohort study including 135,199 adults in the U.K. Biobank study.

The researchers found that the estimated disease-free years at age 50 years were 21.5, 25.5, and 28.4 with low, moderate, and high CVH levels, respectively, for men, and 24.2, 30.5, and 33.6, respectively, for women. On average, men with moderate or high CVH lived 4.0 or 6.9 years longer free of chronic disease, respectively, at age 50 years, compared with men with low CVH. For women, the corresponding longer years free of chronic disease were 6.3 and 9.4. No statistically significant difference was seen in disease-free life expectancy between participants with low and other socioeconomic status among participants with high CVH.

"These findings support the improvement in population health by promoting high CVH levels, which may also narrow health disparities associated with socioeconomic status," the authors write.