The inverse relationship between Life's Essential 8 and risk of metabolic syndrome: evidence from NHANES 2005-2018.

BACKGROUND

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has a close association with cardiovascular diseases. Few studies have investigated the association of Life's Essential 8 (LE8), the updated measurement of cardiovascular health (CVH), with MetS.

METHODS

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2018) data was extracted. The LE8 comprised 4 health behaviors (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and sleep health) and 4 health factors [body mass index (BMI), blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure (BP)]. The total LE8 score is the average of 8 metric scores (0-100), categorized into low (0-49), moderate (50-79), and high CVH (80-100) levels. Multivariable logistic regression models, restricted cubic spline models and stratified analyses were performed to examine the relationship between LE8 and MetS.

RESULTS

In this study, a total of 21,543 participants represented 146.6 million non-institutionalized U.S. adults. Following adjustment for various potential covariates, participants who attained a moderate [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.234, 95% CI: 0.209, 0.262] or a high CVH level (AOR = 0.026, 95% CI: 0.021, 0.032) exhibited an inverse correlation with MetS risks when comparing those with a low CVH level. An inverse linear dose-response relationship between LE8 scores and MetS risks was also identified ( for nonlinearity > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

LE8 was inversely associated with the risk of MetS. Adhering to LE8 guidelines to sustain a higher CVH level may be beneficial for preventing MetS.