Association between cardiovascular health defined by life's essential 8 and frailty among US adults: a cross-sectional study.

Background: With the rapid growth of aging populations, frailty has emerged as a significant global public health concern. However, the relationship between frailty and Life's Essential 8 (LE8), a recently updated measure of cardiovascular health (CVH) introduced by American Heart Association, remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between LE8 and frailty among adult participants.

Method and results: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007 to 2018 were analyzed in this study, including adults aged ≥ 20 years. Frailty was assessed using a frailty index (FI), with frailty defined as a FI ≥ 0.21 and moderate/severe frailty defined as FI ≥ 0.30. Multiple Linear, multivariable logistic and restricted cubic spline models were employed to evaluate the associations. A total of 12,707 participants were included. Those in the high-LE8 group exhibited lower FI, frailty prevalence, and moderate/severe frailty prevalence. After adjusting for potential confounders, higher LE8 was significantly associated with lower FI, frailty prevalence, and moderate/severe frailty prevalence. Similar patterns were observed for several components of LE8. Additionally, nonlinear dose-response relationships were identified. Subgroup analyses revealed that the inverse associations between LE8 and FI were consistent across different populations, with stronger associations observed among females, older participants, and those with a lower poverty-income ratio.

Conclusion: LE8 was inversely associated with the risk of frailty among adult participants. Encouraging the maintenance of optimal cardiovascular health levels may help alleviate the burden of frailty.