🧠Cardiovascular Health: A Decade of Research on Life’s Simple 7
A Decade of Progress with Life’s Simple 7: How 7 Habits Shape Heart and Brain Health
Published In: Journal of the American Heart Association
Date: July 2025
Authors: Aguayo et al.
Link to Study: Read the study
Summary
This review analyzed over 480 studies from 2010 to 2020 on “Life’s Simple 7” (LS7), a framework introduced by the American Heart Association to promote cardiovascular health (CVH). LS7 includes seven lifestyle and clinical factors: diet, physical activity, smoking, body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose. The study confirmed that better scores on these metrics are consistently linked to lower risk of heart disease, dementia, depression, cancer, and even early death.
Key Takeaways
✅ Ideal CVH (6–7 optimal LS7 factors) is rare. Very few adults meet this level worldwide.
âś… High CVH is associated with dramatically lower risks of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and healthcare costs.
âś… Maintaining or improving CVH even modestly reduces risk of chronic disease and mortality.
âś… Social factors like income, education, and neighborhood resources strongly influence CVH levels.
âś… Children with better early CVH and mothers with good CVH during pregnancy tend to have healthier outcomes.
Why It Matters for You
Following Life’s Simple 7 – eating healthy, staying active, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar – can significantly lower your risk of chronic disease and even protect brain health as you age. Even small improvements in these areas can lead to big health gains.
Citation
Aguayo, L., Cotoc, C., Guo, J. W., Labarthe, D. R., Allen, N. B., Marino, B. S., Davis, M. M., Uttal, S., Lloyd-Jones, D. M., & Perak, A. M. (2025). Cardiovascular Health, 2010 to 2020: A Systematic Review of a Decade of Research on Life’s Simple 7. Journal of the American Heart Association, 14, e038566. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.124.038566