Habits linked to lower cardiovascular death risk in kidney disease
In advanced kidney disease, 10-point higher health behavior scores were linked to lower cardiovascular mortality, with a hazard ratio of 0.829.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of 25,979 US adults, median 6.6 years
- What changed:
- Cardiovascular death risk was lower in advanced kidney disease with higher behavior scores (hazard ratio 0.829 per 10-point increase)
- The catch:
- People with healthier habits could have been healthier at baseline in ways the analysis missed
- Why it’s aging research:
- It bears on staying healthy in midlife and later life.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
25,979 US adults, averaging 48.0 years old and 52.7% female, took part in a prospective observational cohort study. Researchers linked national survey data to death records, with a median follow-up of 6.6 years. They scored health behaviors—diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure and sleep—separately from health factors: weight relative to height, blood fats, blood sugar and blood pressure.
Higher behavior scores were linked to lower cardiovascular mortality—death from heart and blood vessel disease—in adults with no, early or advanced kidney disease. In advanced disease, the hazard ratio—a comparison of death rates during follow-up—was 0.829 per 10-point higher behavior score. Higher health factor scores were linked to lower cardiovascular mortality in early kidney disease, but not in advanced disease. Death from any cause showed a similar pattern.
Why it matters
Preventing deaths from heart and blood vessel disease bears on lifespan in people with kidney disease. The authors suggested that prioritizing health habits may improve prevention, particularly in advanced kidney disease.
Caveats
Adults with healthier habits may also have been healthier at the outset in ways the analysis did not capture. The conference abstract covered US adults and did not give the size of the advanced kidney disease group.
The paper
American Heart Association
AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 Abstract, Nov 2, 2026
Presented at AHA Scientific Sessions 2026, abstract 15003
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