Association of Cardiovascular Health With Life Expectancy Free of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, and Dementia in UK Adults

The average life expectancy has increased substantially in the past few decades in most industrialized countries; however, not all of the increased life expectancy is being spent in optimal health, especially among individuals with low socioeconomic status.

To quantify the associations between levels of cardiovascular health (CVH), estimated by the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) metrics, with life expectancy free of major chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, cancer, and dementia, in UK adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included 135 199 adults in the UK Biobank study who were initially free of major chronic disease and had complete data on LE8 metrics. Data analyses were performed in August 2022. Exposures: Cardiovascular health levels, as estimated by LE8 score. The LE8 score, which consists of 8 components: (1) diet, (2) physical activity, (3) tobacco/nicotine exposure, (4) sleep, (5) body mass index, (6) non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, (7) blood glucose, and (8) blood pressure. The CVH level was evaluated at baseline and categorized into low (LE8 score