Association of Life's Essential 8 with abdominal aortic calcification and mortality among middle‐aged and older individuals

Abstract Aim To assess the association of Life's Essential 8 (LE8) and the presence of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) with mortality among middle‐aged and older individuals. Methods Participants aged older than 40 years were enrolled from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013‐2014. AAC was assessed using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Mortality data were ascertained through linkage with the National Death Index until 31 December 2019. The LE8 score incorporates eight components: diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose and blood pressure. The total LE8 score, an unweighted average of all components, was categorized into low (0‐49), medium (50‐79) and high (80‐100) scores. Results This study included 2567 individuals, with a mean LE8 score of 67.28 ± 0.48 and an AAC prevalence of 28.28%. Participants with low LE8 scores showed a significantly higher prevalence of AAC (odds ratio = 2.12 [1.12‐4.19]) compared with those with high LE8 scores. Over a median 6‐year follow‐up, there were 222 all‐cause deaths, and 55 cardiovascular deaths occurred. Participants with AAC had an increased risk of all‐cause (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.17 [1.60‐2.95]) and cardiovascular (HR = 2.35 [1.40‐3.93]) mortality. Moreover, individuals with AAC and low or medium LE8 scores exhibited a 137% (HR = 2.37 [1.58‐3.54]) and 119% (HR = 2.19 [1.61‐2.99]) higher risk of all‐cause mortality, as well as a 224% (HR = 3.24 [1.73‐6.04]) and 125% (HR = 2.25 [1.24‐4.09]) increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, respectively. Conclusions The LE8 score correlates with AAC prevalence in middle‐aged and older individuals and serves as a valuable tool for evaluating the risk of all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality in individuals with AAC.