Cardiovascular health score and unhealthy aging trajectories in older Spanish adults
In the Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohort, better cardiovascular health on the Life's Essential 8 score was associated with lower baseline unhealthy-aging scores and a slower rise in one of them, but not in the other. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohort in Madrid, Spain, included 2,487 adults aged 65 or older followed for 5.2 years. [1]
Per 10-point higher Life's Essential 8 score, the Deficit Accumulation Index was 2.93 points lower in women and 2.05 points lower in men at baseline. [1]
The annual increase in the Deficit Accumulation Index was 0.10 points per year slower, but the increase in the Intrinsic Capacity Impairment Score was not associated with the score. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Observational cohort study (abstract)
- Population / context
- 2,487 adults aged 65 or older in the Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohort, Madrid, Spain.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 23, 2026
Older Madrid cohort followed 5.2 years
The study analyzed 2,487 adults aged 65 or older in the Seniors-ENRICA-2 cohort in Madrid, Spain. Cardiovascular health was assessed at three timepoints over a 5.2-year follow-up with the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 score, ranging from 0 to 100, where higher values mean better cardiovascular health. Unhealthy aging was measured with two indicators, both scored 0 to 100, where higher means worse health: the Deficit Accumulation Index and an Intrinsic Capacity Impairment Score.
Supporting source [1]
Lower baseline deficits, slower rise in one index
Per 10 points higher on the Life's Essential 8 score, the Deficit Accumulation Index was 2.93 points lower in women and 2.05 points lower in men at baseline. The Intrinsic Capacity Impairment Score was 3.44 points lower in women and 2.12 points lower in men. The annual increase in the Deficit Accumulation Index was 0.10 points per year slower, but the increase in the Intrinsic Capacity Impairment Score was not associated with the score. Strongest inverse links appeared in functional impairment and self-rated health for the first index and in locomotion for the second.
Supporting source [1]
Activity, sleep, weight and glucose as contributors
Higher physical activity, better sleep health, an adequate body mass index and optimal blood glucose emerged as key contributors to slower health decline. The authors conclude that better cardiovascular health was associated with fewer and a slower accumulation of age-related health deficits in older adults, and suggest that promoting cardiovascular health may help delay functional decline. These are associations from an observational cohort, not proof that cardiovascular health causes slower aging.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
This is an abstract; the full text was not reviewed. The design is an observational cohort, so the reported associations do not establish that cardiovascular health causes slower aging. Findings come from older adults in Madrid and may not generalize.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Gómez-Ángel D, Sotos-Prieto M, García-Esquinas E, Carballo-Casla A, Peñalvo JL, Rodríguez-Artalejo F, Ortolá R. · europepmc.org · September 23, 2026