By Lucas Singleton, Pharmacist and Karen Kier, Pharmacist
On behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

The Rolling Stones released Jigsaw Puzzle on December 6, 1968, on their Beggars Banquet album. The song was the longest one on the album with a playing time of 6 minutes and 7 seconds. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and was considered to be blues-rock. The critics had very mixed views, and it never really achieved many accolades compared to Satisfaction and Paint It, Black, which had the highest commercial success. 

Is our heart health dependent on puzzle pieces?

Often, we focus on one single factor and its impact on various parts of our health. It may be more beneficial to analyze multiple factors, like diet, exercise and sleep, and their impact on our health. This may lead many people to wonder if small changes in lifestyle habits now can have cardiovascular benefits later? 

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Cardiology evaluated the impact of multiple lifestyle changes and heart health. Researchers assessed the connection between heart health and cardiovascular events later in life using the American Heart Association's (AHA) Life Essential 8 (LE8). This is a framework to define optimal heart health behaviors and heart disease risk reduction. The AHA’s LE8 includes the following: 1) Eat better, 2) Be more active, 3) Quit tobacco, 4) Get healthier sleep, 5) Manage weight, 6) Control cholesterol, 7) Manage blood sugar, and 8) Manage blood pressure. 

The researchers enrolled 4,832 people in the study and evaluated their LE8 scores. Participants from four medical centers were evaluated from 1985 to 2020. They assessed the trend and correlation of LE8 scores from ages 18-45 with cardiovascular events and mortality after age 45. The study found a significant association between improving LE8 scores and reduced risk of heart events after age 45. A higher LE8 score is associated with better heart health.

This study has a meaningful impact for patients and healthcare providers by highlighting the benefit to improving LE8 scores in order to decrease risk and prevent issues in the future. If we concentrate on the LE8 puzzle pieces during the young adult and middle-age years, we can improve heart health over the age of 45.  This study included both women (55.7%) and men (44.3%) and this is critical information since heart disease is the number one killer in both men and women. 

How do we make changes in our puzzle pieces to make one big picture for heart health?

One way to optimize LE8 is to strive for healthy eating patterns. Cooking at home and avoiding large amounts of fast food and ultra-processed foods are a good start. Two and a half hours of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise per week are recommended activity goals. Additionally, stopping all forms of inhaled nicotine use, including cigarettes and electronic cigarettes (vaping), has been shown to have benefits for heart health. Everyone is encouraged to achieve 7-9 hours of sleep to help prevent chronic disease and improve brain function. An optimal BMI is less than 25 but should be maintained above 18.5 to avoid malnourishment; weight along with cholesterol (lipids), blood pressure, and blood sugar control are essential to prevent worsening chronic disease. These four aspects can be dependent on diet and exercise.  

Ask your healthcare provider on how to complete your jigsaw puzzle for better heart health!