Two studies have revealed that adults who follow a heart-friendly lifestyle live longer, without chronic diseases for longer than others.
Preliminary findings were presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions on Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Health 2023, conducted in Boston, United States.
The scientific sessions were held at the end of February and the beginning of March this year, and were written about by the website EurekAlert.
In June last year, the American Society of Cardiology added sleep to standards believed to ensure cardiovascular health.
Life expectancy
The first study investigated a correlation between heart health, as measured using Life's Essential, and life expectancy without chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, cancer and dementia.
The foundation of life is 8 sets of standards set by the American Heart Association by which heart health can be judged and improved, and the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, stroke and other diseases can be reduced.
These factors can be classified into two groups: the first is related to health behaviors, and the second is related to health factors.
The first group includes 5 points:
Eat healthy, increase motor activity, stop smoking, control weight, sleep well.
The second group includes:
Control cholesterol, control blood sugar, control blood pressure.
Returning to the study, led by Dr. Xuan Wang, MD, postdoctoral researcher and biostatistician in the Department of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans, Dr. Wang explained that the study sought to find out the link between "Life Essentials 8" and the life expectancy of an adult without chronic diseases in the UK.
The researchers analysed more than 100,<> adults in the UK who did not suffer from chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and dementia when they joined the study.
According to Dr. Wang, the researchers ranked patients by score they received according to the American Heart Association's "Life Essentials 8" system.
If a patient gets a score of less than 50 out of 100, his heart health is poor, if he gets a score between 50 and 80, his heart health is average, and if he achieves a score above 80, his heart is in perfect health.
The researchers compared the groups, based on life expectancy and disease-free years, to find that adults with optimal heart health lived longer than people whose heart health was poor.
Men and women who have optimal heart health by age 5 are expected to live 2.6 years longer for men and 3.<> years longer for women, than their healthier peers.
People with better heart health are also expected to live longer lives without chronic diseases.
The results suggest that men with good heart health are expected to live 76% of their life expectancy without disease, while those with weaker heart health are expected to live only 65% of their life expectancy without disease.
Those with good heart health are expected to live 83% of their life expectancy without chronic diseases, while those rated to have a healthy heart are expected to live 69% of their life expectancy without chronic diseases.
Dr. Wang predicts that the results of the study will motivate people to improve their heart health, which will improve the health of the community and reduce health disparities caused by some issues related to socioeconomic status.
He also pointed out that those who keep their hearts healthy in middle age can avoid chronic aging diseases such as cancer and dementia, and by keeping their hearts healthy they can delay the occurrence of these diseases and enjoy a longer healthy life.
Second study
The second study was conducted in the United States to find the link between "Life Essentials 8" and life expectancy.
More than 23,2005 adults took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) held between 2018 and <>.
The analysis showed that the remaining life expectancy for 50-year-olds is an additional 33.3 years (i.e. they will live up to 83.3 years) if they have optimal heart health. Those with weaker heart health are expected to live 25 years, up to 75 years. Good heart health can therefore add approximately 8 more years to a person's life.
Dr. Donald M. Lloyd Jones, MD, who led the advisory team to write Life Foundation 8, former president of the American Heart Association and professor of preventive medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics at Northwestern University in Chicago's Feinberg School of Medicine, said: "The abstracts presented have provided us with beautiful indications of how at different stages of life we can maintain heart health, especially using the American Heart Association's Basis of Life 8 criteria."
He added that the structure of heart health investigated in these two studies showed what patients need to do that provides a source for young people. Yes, you have to live longer, but it's even more important to live healthy enough to enjoy the rest of your life.