Mixed
Meeting 6 or more of the 7 ideal cardiovascular health metrics (not smoking, physical activity, normal blood pressure, normal blood glucose, normal total cholesterol, normal weight, healthy diet) is associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and ischemic heart disease mortality compared to meeting 1 or fewer metrics.
Focus on accumulating healthy habits rather than perfection. The study shows that meeting 6 out of 7 ideal health metrics (not smoking, being physically active, normal blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, weight, and eating a healthy diet) cuts your risk of dying from heart disease or any cause by more than half compared to having few or no healthy habits. You don't need to be perfect; each healthy habit you adopt adds significant protection.
Among participants who met 6 or more cardiovascular health metrics, corresponding risks were 5.4 (95% CI, 3.6–7.3) deaths per 1000 person-years for all-cause mortality... Adjusted hazard ratios were 0.49 (95% CI, 0.33–0.74) for all-cause mortality, 0.24 (95% CI, 0.13–0.47) for CVD mortality, and 0.30 (95% CI, 0.13–0.68) for IHD mortality, comparing participants who met 6 or more vs 1 or fewer cardiovascular health metrics.
Why this rating
Large, nationally representative cohort study with long follow-up, though observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Trends in Cardiovascular Health Metrics and Associations With All-Cause and CVD Mortality Among US Adults
Quanhe Yang et al. · JAMA · 2012
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