Researchers reveal the 8 habits that protect your heart for decades

A US study published in JAMA Network Open shows that the health habits people adopt and maintain in early adulthood significantly influence their risk of heart disease, stroke and related conditions later in life. The findings were based on 4,241 adults who enrolled in a long-term heart health study between the ages of 18 and 30.

Over 20 years, the researchers tracked participants' adherence to Life’s Essential 8 (LE8)—a set of guidelines from the American Heart Association.

What does this include?

LE8 includes healthy eating, regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding tobacco, getting quality sleep and keeping cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose at healthy levels.

Analysis:

The study then analysed how changes in LE8 scores over two decades affected the risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, heart failure, strokes, coronary procedures and cardiovascular-related deaths, over the following 20 years.

Participants with consistently high LE8 scores had a very low risk of cardiovascular events. While those with moderate but stable scores had twice the risk, those whose LE8 scores declined from moderate to low faced a 10-fold increased risk. Individuals with consistently poor heart health had nearly a six-fold higher risk. Every 10-point drop in an LE8 score over 20 years was linked to a 53 per cent increase in cardiovascular risk.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. “Improvements in heart health can decrease future risk and the earlier it is attained and maintained, the better,” said the study’s senior researcher. “We hope young adults will prioritise heart health early to gain the biggest benefits in longer, healthier lives.”

Health