A recent study in Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging provides insights into the advantages of maintaining strong cardiovascular health (CVH). The findings reported that individuals with high CVH scores reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and live for longer periods without any detectable coronary artery calcium (CAC).

The study used the data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). The researchers followed over 3,400 adults with no CAC at the start and tracked them for up to 10 years. The goal was to see how long participants could maintain their zero-CAC status, depending on whether they had high, intermediate, or low CVH at the beginning of the study. People with better heart health at baseline were significantly more likely to stay free of CAC for longer.

Women with high CVH lived an average of 6.6 years without CAC compared to 5.6 years for those with low CVH. For men, the difference was also notable, 6.4 years versus 5.5 years. Younger participants aged 45–64 years with high CVH saw the biggest advantage, maintaining zero CAC for an average of 7.4 years versus 5.9 years for those with poor CVH. However, this benefit diminished in older adults (65–84 years), where the difference was minimal (5.1 years versus 4.9 years).