Ideal cardiovascular health is associated with substantial health benefits but is exceedingly rare, with <1% of US adults having all 7 ideal metrics.
Ideal cardiovascular health, defined by Life's Simple 7, is exceedingly rare in US adults, emphasizing the need for early and sustained health promotion.
In 2010, the American Heart Association (AHA) set strategic impact goals for 2020, with a bold new focus on promoting cardiovascular health (CVH), moving beyond simply preventing cardiovascular events. Ideal CVH was defined positively as the simultaneous presence of 4 ideal health behaviors and 3 ideal health factors, collectively known as "Life's Simple 7": healthy diet, optimal physical activity, nonsmoking, healthy BMI, and optimal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose. 1 Ideal CVH in adulthood is prospectively associated with substantial reductions in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease events, and all the chronic diseases of aging; compression of morbidity; better cognition, mood, and quality of life; and reduced health care costs. 1, 2 However, ideal CVH is exceedingly rare in adults: <1% of US adults (age 20 years) have all 7 and just 5% have 6 CVH metrics at ideal levels.
Perak et al. (Tue,) conducted a editorial in Cardiovascular health. Ideal cardiovascular health (Life's Simple 7) was evaluated. Ideal cardiovascular health is associated with substantial health benefits but is exceedingly rare, with <1% of US adults having all 7 ideal metrics.
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