The American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) and Life’s Crucial 9 (LC9) are industry-recognized metrics that summarize overall cardiovascular health. A new study demonstrated an inverse association between these indicators and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in postmenopausal women. Obesity and systemic inflammation showed partial statistical mediation of these associations. The research results will be published online today. menopauseJournal of the Menopause Society.
Cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. This risk increases significantly after menopause due to hormonal changes, metabolic changes, and aging blood vessels. Therefore, comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular health status is essential to identify high-risk populations of postmenopausal women and develop prevention strategies.
Higher LE8 and LC9 scores are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events and mortality, but the underlying causes of these associations are not fully identified. Postmenopausal women experience significant changes in body composition and fat redistribution, especially around the woman’s midsection, increasing cardiometabolic risks. Additionally, higher levels of obesity are often associated with increased frequency of inflammatory markers and metabolic dysregulation in this population.
That’s why this new study of more than 7,800 postmenopausal women (1,313 died during follow-up) sought to examine the relationships between LE8 and LC9 and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and to assess whether obesity-related and inflammation-related indicators statistically mediated these associations. Based on this result, the researchers concluded that higher LC9 and LE8 scores in postmenopausal women were associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Furthermore, obesity-related and inflammation-related indicators partially mediated these associations. These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive cardiovascular health assessment and suggest the benefits of maintaining a favorable cardiometabolic profile.
The findings are published in the paper, “Mediation Analysis of Obesity and Inflammation in the Association of Life’s Crucial 9 and Life’s Essential 8 with Mortality in Postmenopausal Women.”
We already know that lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, sleep and smoking cessation are important for heart health, but the results of this study highlight just how powerful they are. Women with good overall cardiometabolic health after menopause are more likely to live longer, suggesting that many of the factors that influence our health span are within our control. ”
Dr. Stephanie Fabion, Medical Director, Menopause Medicine Society
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Reference magazines:
Wei, J., & Liu, Y. (2026) Mediation analysis of obesity and inflammation in the association of Life’s Crucial 9 and Life’s Essential 8 with mortality in postmenopausal women. menopause. DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000002761. https://menopause.org/wp-content/uploads/press-release/MENO-D-25-00466.pdf
