Journal of Medical Sciences · Published 2025-07-01 · DOI 10.4103/jmedsci.jmedsci_226_24
Background: In 2010, the American Heart Association defined a new concept of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) called Life’s Simple 7, which comprises seven parts, including smoking status (nonsmoking), body mass index (BMI) (<25 kg/m2), healthy diet, physical activity, total cholesterol (<200 mg/dL), blood pressure (<120/<80 mmHg), and fasting serum glucose (<100 mg/dL). Aim: Menopause is related to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We aimed to determine associations between Life’s Simple 7 and menopause in postmenopausal women. Methods: The cross-sectional data were obtained from the MJ Health Management Institution from 2000 to 2016. CVH metrics included smoking status, BMI, healthy diet, physical activity, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations among CVH metrics, menopausal status, age at menopause, and duration of menopause. Results: When the nonmenopausal group was used as the reference, the odds ratio (OR) for having 5–7 ideal CVH metrics in the postmenopausal group was 0.72 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67–0.77). Decreased odds for having ideal blood pressure and total cholesterol were observed (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.87–0.98 and OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.59–0.66, respectively). Conclusion: Our results suggest significantly fewer ideal CVH metrics among menopausal individuals, mainly due to nonideal blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting glucose values. These findings highlight the need for appropriate approaches to address the risk of multiple conditions in menopause associated with loss of the protective effects of estrogen.
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