What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to examine the relationship between Life's Essential 8 scores and chronic kidney disease in Korea.

March 28, 2026Open Access

Cardiovascular health by Life’s Essential 8 and chronic kidney disease: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019–2021

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cross-Sectional. Population: Chronic kidney disease (n=12264). Intervention: High cardiovascular health (Life's Essential 8 score 80-100) vs. Low cardiovascular health (Life's Essential 8 score 0-<50). Primary outcome: Prevalence of chronic kidney disease (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or UACR ≥30 mg/g) (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.15-0.33).

Key Result

High cardiovascular health, defined by Life's Essential 8 scores, was associated with 78% lower odds of chronic kidney disease compared to low cardiovascular health (OR 0.22).

Key Points

This research aims to examine the relationship between Life's Essential 8 scores and chronic kidney disease in Korea.
Analyzed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019-2021
Assessed Life's Essential 8 scores of participants
Evaluated indicators of chronic kidney disease
Higher Life's Essential 8 scores are linked to lower prevalence of chronic kidney disease
Participants with better scores show improved kidney health indicators
Early-stage chronic kidney disease is less common among those with higher scores

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=12,264)

Structured PICO

Does higher cardiovascular health, as measured by the Life's Essential 8 score, associate with a lower prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Korean adults?

Population

12,264 adults aged 20 years and older (5,353 males and 6,911 females) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2019–2021. Excluded: individuals under 20, pregnant women, and those with incomplete data.

Intervention

Higher cardiovascular health as measured by Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score (assessing diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep, BMI, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure), analyzed continuously and categorically (moderate CVH 50 to <80, high CVH 80-100).

Comparator

Low cardiovascular health (LE8 score 0 to <50).

Outcome

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD), defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m² or albuminuria (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g).surrogate

Higher cardiovascular health scores, as measured by Life's Essential 8, are strongly and inversely associated with the prevalence of chronic kidney disease and its early indicators in Korean adults.

Main Result

Effect estimate: OR 0.22 (95% CI 0.15-0.33)

Absolute Event Rate: 2.6% vs 16.9%

Limitations

Cross-sectional design is prone to reverse causality and limits causal interpretation
Health behavior information was self-reported, which may have introduced bias
Dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls, which may not adequately capture long-term patterns
CKD definition was based on a single measurement rather than persisting for at least 3 months as per KDIGO guidelines

Abstract

Higher LE8 scores were inversely associated with CKD and its indicators, including early-stage CKD.

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Cite This Study

Kim et al. (Wed,) conducted a cross-sectional in Chronic kidney disease (n=12,264). High cardiovascular health (Life's Essential 8 score 80-100) vs. Low cardiovascular health (Life's Essential 8 score 0-<50) was evaluated on Prevalence of chronic kidney disease (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or UACR ≥30 mg/g) (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.15-0.33). High cardiovascular health, defined by Life's Essential 8 scores, was associated with 78% lower odds of chronic kidney disease compared to low cardiovascular health (OR 0.22).

synapsesocial.com/papers/69c76fff8bbfbc51511e0638 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.23876/j.krcp.25.231