A comprehensive analysis of over 12,500 participants revealed that higher Life's Essential 8 cardiovascular health scores may be associated with a reduced risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The study, which analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2007 to 2018, found that individuals with high Life's Essential 8 (LE8) scores (80–100) had an 82% lower risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared to those with low scores (0–49).

"Maintaining a high...LE8 score is beneficial in reducing the risk of developing COPD," wrote lead author Qian Huang, MD, of Dazhou Dachuan District People's Hospital, and colleagues in Frontiers in Medicine.

The analysis revealed a linear inverse relationship between LE8 scores and COPD risk, with health behavior factors showing a particularly strong correlation. The relationship remained robust across different demographic and socioeconomic groups.

The LE8 metric, introduced by the American Heart Association in 2022, evaluates eight components of cardiovascular health: physical activity, diet, sleep, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), blood glucose, blood lipids, and blood pressure.

After adjusting for multiple variables, researchers found that moderate LE8 scores (50-79) were associated with a 45% lower COPD risk compared to low scores; high health behavior scores alone reduced COPD risk by 71%; and health factors showed a weaker but still significant association at higher levels.

The study included 835 COPD cases among 12,517 participants aged 40 years and older. The findings suggest specific lifestyle modifications could reduce COPD risk.

"Middle-aged and elderly individuals can significantly reduce their risk of COPD by adopting a Mediterranean diet pattern, maintaining sleep duration between 7 and 9 hours, engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, keeping [their] BMI below 25, and reducing or avoiding smoking," the researchers noted.

While the cross-sectional design cannot establish causality, the authors suggested LE8 scoring could become "a simple assessment tool for evaluating the risk of COPD." They recommended annual comprehensive health checkups—including pulmonary function tests—for middle-aged and elderly individuals.

The authors declared having no competing interests.