- Maintaining and improving cardiovascular health from age 18 to 45 years is strongly associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in midlife.
- Positive slope of change in cardiovascular health during young adulthood is independently associated with lower hazards for incident CVD after age 45 years, introducing novel metrics for CVH risk.
- Novel metrics 'point × years' and 'points up' offer tools for long-term risk stratification.
- Race-based risk disparities were attenuated after adjusting for cumulative cardiovascular health.
- The CARDIA study emphasizes the value of sustained cardiovascular health from early adulthood and supports earlier implementation of preventive CVH interventions.
Source: JAMA Cardiology
