Life’s Essential 8 and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in the Women’s Health Initiative

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Abstract
Objective: To examine the association between Life Essential 8 (LE8) and incident T2D in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), and to assess whether associations varied by race and ethnicity. Research Design and Methods: Prospective cohort study of 19,403 postmenopausal women enrolled in the WHI without T2D at baseline. Data were analyzed from 1993 through 2024. The LE8 score (range, 0–100), comprising blood glucose, blood lipids, blood pressure, smoking, physical activity, diet, sleep, and body mass index (BMI), categorized as high (80–100), moderate (50–79), and low (0–49) according to AHA definitions. Incident treated T2D was self-reported during follow-up. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for LE8 categories and continuous scores. Results: During a mean follow-up of 16.3 years, 3921 women developed T2D. Compared with the lowest category, women in the highest LE8 category had a 57% lower risk of T2D (HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.38–0.49). A 20-point increase in LE8 score was associated with a 43% lower risk (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.54–0.60). Among individual domains, BMI and glucose were most strongly associated with T2D. Subgroup analyses by 20-point increase in LE8 showed greater risk reduction among Hispanic/Latina women (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.41–0.53) compared with non-Hispanic women (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.55–0.62), but no significant association with race was observed. Conclusions: Higher LE8 scores are associated with a reduced risk of T2D in postmenopausal women, supporting LE8 as a useful framework for lifestyle-based diabetes prevention strategies.
Funding Information
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (75N92021D00001)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (75N92021D00002)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (75N92021D00003)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (75N92021D00004)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (75N92021D00005)
  • American Diabetes Association (11-22-JDFPM-06)

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