- Researchers report that young people with good heart health scores have a 65% lower risk of disease.
- People who improved their heart health scores also had a lower risk of heart and kidney disease.
- However, the researchers noted that only 1 percent of the study subjects had “ideal” heart health.
Maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle not only dramatically reduces your chances of developing heart disease and stroke, but can also reduce your risk of kidney disease.
According to preliminary findings from a new study presented this week at the American Heart Association.
This study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Researchers say this study shows that not only the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight, smoking cessation, controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, but also being physically active, are linked to heart and kidney health. It also emphasizes that there is a strong correlation.
“Most of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease are also associated with kidney disease,” says Arun Manmadhan, assistant professor of cardiology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University. says the doctor.Irving Medical Center said Today's medical news.
In the study, South Korean researchers surveyed approximately 4 million adults under the age of 40 over a 12-year period.
The researchers found that people with “ideal” cardiovascular health scores were 65% less likely to develop heart or kidney disease or stroke than those with low heart health scores. said the people.
“These two diseases often coexist or increase the likelihood of developing each other, so they need to be prevented together,” said Dr. Hokyo Lee, lead author of the study and associate professor of preventive medicine at Yonsei University School of Medicine. ” he said.
Remarkably, those who had a poor score at the start of the study but took steps to improve their cardiovascular health were able to reduce their risk of disease compared to those who continued to have a poor score. .
“Maintaining cardiovascular health is not a quick fix,” said Manmadhan, who was not involved in the study. “It needs to last a lifetime.”
Overall, as heart health scores improved, the risk of developing cardiovascular or kidney disease decreased over time.
Less than 1% of study participants had an ideal heart score, and “about half of those with perfect or near-perfect cardiovascular health eventually develop a heart score within a few years. health scores have decreased,” Lee said.
“Our study highlights the importance of achieving ideal cardiovascular health in early life and maintaining or improving it throughout life,” he said. “More efforts are needed to raise awareness about practicing and maintaining heart-healthy lifestyle behaviors early in life in young adults to lead longer, healthier lives.”
Manmadhan said ideally heart and kidney diseases should be treated together.
Specifically, Columbia University Irving Medical Center maintains a cardionephrology specialty practice to provide comprehensive care for heart and kidney disease.
“Of all the specialties, the one we work most closely with is nephrologists,” Manmadhan said. “The kidneys are more than just blood filters; they secrete hormones and regulate blood pressure. This study is a reminder that there are many interactions between organs.”
Dr. Majid Basit, a cardiologist at Memorial Hermann Medical Group in Houston, said high blood pressure, a well-known cause of cardiovascular disease, is also a leading cause of kidney disease.
“High blood pressure is a good indicator of future kidney problems,” said Baijit, who was not involved in the new study. Today's medical news.
He said screening young people for signs of high blood pressure and more organ-specific markers, such as elevated creatine levels, could help uncover kidney disease risk alongside cardiovascular risk. added.
“We do standard tests for kidney disease, but we don't make a big deal out of it,” Baijit said. “We need to have a more positive message, just like we do with heart disease.”
