Overview

• A July 2025 meta-analysis in the Journal of the American Heart Association synthesized data from 483 studies to evaluate outcomes linked to the AHA’s cardiovascular health metrics.
• In 2022 the American Heart Association expanded Life’s Simple 7 to Life’s Essential 8 by adding sleep and refining its scoring to better capture overall health behaviors.
• Each one-point increase in cardiovascular health score is associated with an 11% reduction in dementia risk, a 6% drop in eye disease, a 23% decrease in fatty liver risk and an 11% decline in chronic kidney disease.
• Ideal cardiovascular health remains rare globally, with fewer than 4% of people meeting all seven core metrics.
• Public health officials are focusing on small, achievable lifestyle changes—such as incremental improvements in diet, activity or risk factors—to help more individuals benefit from these guidelines.