American Heart Association's life simple 7 and the risk of atrial fibrillation in the PREDIMED study cohort.

The American Heart Association proposed 7 ideal cardiovascular health metrics (Life's Simple 7 [LS7]) namely, not smoking, body mass index <25 kg/m², healthy diet, moderate physical activity ≥150 min/week, total blood cholesterol <200 mg/dL, blood pressure <120/80 mmHg and fasting blood glucose <100 mg/dL. Our objective was to assess the association between these LS7 metrics and the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). A total of 6,479 participants of the PREDIMED study were included. We calculated the participants' baseline LS7 index ranging 0–7 points to categorize them according to their adherence to these LS7 health metrics. Multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate Hazard Ratios (HR) and their 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI). After a median follow-up of 4.8 years, we identified 250 incident cases of AF. After adjusting for potential confounders, adherence to LS7 index was not associated with the incidence of AF (adjusted HR 0.90 [95% CI: 0.56–1.45] for highest vs. lowest LS7 categories). Body mass index <25 kg/m² was the only health metric individually associated with a lower risk of AF (HR 0.36 [95% CI: 0.16–0.78]). In a high cardiovascular risk Spanish population, adherence to American Heart Association's LS7 metrics was not associated with the risk of incident AF. Clinical Trials number: ISRCTN35739639. • Limited understanding of Life's Simple 7 (LS7) with atrial fibrillation (AF) risk in non-US populations. • No significant LS7 index association with AF in high-risk cardiovascular disease participants. • BMI <25 significantly associated to 64% lower AF risk vs. overweight/obese participants. • More research needed to confirm if LS7 metrics lower AF risk in high cardiovascular risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]