To measure health, researchers used the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 framework, which includes eight key markers: diet, physical activity, smoking status, BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. Instead of looking at just one point in time, the team added up each person’s scores over the full study period to create a cumulative health score, capturing the total benefit (or burden) of health behaviors sustained over decades.
Unexpected Factor May Predict Longevity More Than Diet Or Fitness
