: Publication 17657

Publication 17657

Title:	Association of life's essential 8 with cardiovascular outcomes and mortality in adults with prediabetes: mediating role of inflammatory biomarkers
Journal:	Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice
Published:	23 Feb 2026
Pubmed:	https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41740926/
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2026.113187

Abstract

AIMS: The intervention of prediabetes, with lifestyle modification as its first-line therapy, is an emerging method to prevent diabetes and cardiovascular complications. This study investigated the association of Life's Essential 8 (LE8) with cardiovascular outcomes and mortality among individuals with prediabetes, and the mediating role of inflammation in these relationships.</p>

METHODS: The main analyses included 33,745 participants with prediabetes from the UK Biobank cohort study. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Mediation analyses were conducted to examine underlying pathways.</p>

RESULTS: After multivariable adjustment, a higher LE8 score was significantly associated with lower risks of CVD incidence (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.45, 0.53), CVD mortality (HR 0.46; 95% CI 0.35, 0.61), and all-cause mortality (HR 0.54; 95% CI 0.48, 0.60). Inflammatory biomarkers, particularly neutrophil count (mediating 9.65% of the LE8-CVD association and 17.20% of the LE8-mortality association), significantly mediated these associations. Moreover, in the genetic susceptibility analysis, LE8 adherence was associated with lower cardiovascular risk across all PRS groups (p for interaction > 0.05).</p>

CONCLUSIONS: Achieving optimal LE8 metrics is significantly associated with reduced cardiovascular risk and mortality in people with prediabetes, and systemic inflammation partially explains these associations.</p>

Abstract

11 Keywords

13 Authors