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AIMS: To evaluate the association of cardiovascular health (CVH), measured by Life's Essential 8 score, with the risk of premature mortality and to determine the patterns of CVH-related differences in life expectancy among people with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 309,789 participants (age 56.6 ± 8.1 years; 46% men) enroled in the UK Biobank. The Life's Essential 8 composite measure consists of four health behaviours (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and sleep) and four health factors (BMI, non-HDL cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure), and the maximum CVH score was 100 points. CVH was categorised into low, moderate, and high groups. Premature death was defined as death before the age of 75. Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and life expectancy was estimated.

RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12.7 years, 13,683 cases of premature death were documented. Compared to participants with low CVH, the multivariable HRs (95% CIs) of premature death were 0.59 (0.56-0.62) and 0.42 (0.39-0.45) for the moderate and high CVH groups, respectively. This association was stronger in participants with T2D compared with those without T2D. At the age of 50 years, compared to low CVH groups, high CVH was associated with a gain of 9.79 (9.70-9.87) and 5.58 (5.48-5.67) additional life years for men with and without T2D, respectively. The corresponding life gain for women with and without T2D was 24.21 (24.13-24.27) and 10.18 (10.10-10.27), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining an ideal Life's Essential 8 score may provide more benefits for people with T2D than for those without T2D, including a lower risk of premature death and an increased lifespan.