Lifestyle has been recognized as an important determinant of morbidity due to and of mortality from major chronic diseases. Evaluating the individual associations of lifestyle factors with various health outcomes may not be as effective as considering them together in a combined score which can account for the correlations among individual factors. The American Heart Association (AHA) developed the Life’s Essential 8 (LE8), a combination of 8 modifiable behaviors and biological metrics used to define cardiovascular health. It was recommended that to preserve ideal cardiovascular health, people should: follow a healthy diet, quit cigarette smoking, regularly engage in an adequate amount of sleep and physical activity, and achieve and maintain normal levels of body mass index and blood pressure, and of circulating levels of cholesterol and glucose. Adherence to these guidelines has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and cognitive decline, depression, and mortality. Emerging evidence indicates that cardiovascular disease and cancer share several risk factors including obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. These factors trigger several body responses, including inflammation, which plays an important role in the progression of both cardiovascular disease and of cancer. To date, no study has focused the on the association between the newly implemented LE8 score and the risk of developing cancer. This study aims to assess 1) whether the association between a health score (Life’s Essential 8) that combines modifiable behaviors and biological metrics established to improve cardiovascular health is associated with the risk of cancers at various anatomical sites, and 2) whether the associations vary by sex, age and menopausal status in women.
