Investigators have found a significant association between Life's Essential 8 scores and insulin resistance among nondiabetic adults in the United States.
Insulin resistance is a precursor to several cardiometabolic diseases. The American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 scores measure individual's cardiovascular health.
In a cross-sectional study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the investigators used the 2005 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the association between Life's Essential 8 scores and insulin resistance in 11,246 nondiabetic adults in the United States. They applied weighted logistic and linear regression models to explore the relationship between Life's Essential 8 scores and insulin resistance, measured by the homeostasis model. Restricted cubic spline models assessed dose-response relationships, detailing how incremental changes in the scores correlated with variations in insulin resistance risk. The investigators then conducted subgroup analyses to determine how demographic- and health-related variables influenced the relationship between Life's Essential 8 scores and insulin resistance.
The results indicated that higher Life's Essential 8 scores were associated with a lower risk of insulin resistance, especially among individuals who identified as White; achieved a higher level of education; had a higher income; and did not have hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or chronic kidney disease.
The findings suggested that improvements in adherence to Life's Essential 8 scores such as diet, physical activity, and body mass index may reduce the risk of insulin resistance—thereby supporting the potential role of cardiovascular health improvements in public health strategies aimed at metabolic disorder prevention. The investigators indicated that integrated health metrics may be critical in preventive health strategies.
The use of a nationally representative sample and comprehensive statistical analysis were intended to ensure the reliability of the findings. However, the cross-sectional nature of the study may have limited the investigators' ability to establish causality, highlighting the need for future longitudinal studies to further explore these associations.
The authors declared no competing interests.