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Positive lifestyle factors linked to lower HF risk in older adults
Adults aged 65 years and older who are physically active, not obese, have modest alcohol intake and do not smoke were more likely to have a lower risk for HF compared with adults who do not report these positive lifestyle factors, according to results of a new study.
Researchers prospectively investigated separate and combined associations of lifestyle risk factors with incident HF during a study period of 21 years in 4,490 men and women from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a community-based cohort of older adults. The researchers assessed four dietary patterns (Alternative Healthy Eating Index, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [DASH]), American Heart Association 2020 dietary goals score and a biologic pattern based on previous knowledge of CVD dietary risk factors); four physical activity metrics, including exercise intensity, walking pace, energy expended in leisure activity and walking distance; alcohol intake; smoking; and obesity.
Diet did not affect HF
During the study period, 1,380 cases of incident HF were identified.
Participants were stratified into quintiles by diet-quality scores, but in a multivariate, mediator-adjusted analysis, there was no trend between diet-quality score and risk for incident HF (Alternative Healthy Eating Index, P = .33; DASH, P = .36; AHA, P = .88; biologic, P = .62), according to the results.
However, a walking pace of 3 mph or more (HR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63-0.86) and energy expended in leisure activity of at least 845 kcal/week (HR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.69-0.87) were associated with reduced risk for incident HF.
In addition, never or former smoking (HR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59-0.88), intake of at least one alcoholic drink per week (HR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.67-0.88) and BMI less than 30 kg/m2 (HR = 0.7; 95% CI, 0.61-0.8) were associated with reduced HF risk.
Participants with at least four healthy lifestyle factors had a 45% reduced risk for HF (HR = 0.55; 95% CI, 0.42-0.74), Del Gobbo and colleagues wrote.
Results were consistent by sex, age, CVD history, hypertension medication use and diabetes, according to the researchers.
“It’s encouraging to learn that older adults can make simple changes to reduce their [HF] risk, like engaging in moderate physical activity, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight,” Liana C. Del Gobbo, PhD, research fellow at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, said in a press release. “Although dietary patterns were not related to [HF] risk in this study, eating a healthy diet is of critical importance for preventing other [CV] diseases, type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.”
More prevention efforts needed
In a related editorial, David J. Maron, MD, and Sharon A. Hunt, MD, from the division of cardiovascular medicine of the department of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, said, “More effort should be invested in its prevention, especially with the potential that simple, inexpensive lifestyle interventions may have an impact.
“It makes sense for us and our patients to walk briskly, drink modestly (and responsibly), avoid obesity and not smoke. We already know that these behaviors have ample health benefits, and the prevention of [HF] may be an additional advantage,” they wrote. – by Erik Swain
Disclosure: Del Gobbo, Hunt and Maron report no relevant financial disclosures.