Abstract
BACKGROUND: The association between the American Heart Association (AHA) Life's Essential 7 (LE7) score and the risk of precancerous colorectal lesions remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) behaviours and colorectal cancer (CRC) precursors. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using health check-up data from the PLA General Hospital from 2013 to 2019. All the subjects underwent routine physical examination and colonoscopy. The seven CVH variables are divided into poor (0), moderate (1) and ideal (2) levels to obtain a CVH score ranging from 0 to 14 points. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between the CVH score and CRC precursors. RESULTS: Of the 5627 participants included, 418 (7.43%), 2044 (36.32%) and 3165 (56.25%) were classified as having poor, moderate and ideal CVH scores, respectively. Adenomas and serrated polyps (SPs) were found in 682 (12.12%) and 416 (7.39%) participants, respectively. A 1-unit increase in the CVH score was associated with a 7%, 10.4% and 12.5% decrease in the risk of adenoma, advanced adenoma (AA) and SP, respectively. The risk of adenoma, AA and SP in the poor CVH subgroup was 1.41, 1.82 and 2.1 times greater, respectively, than that in the ideal CVH subgroup. Subgroup analysis revealed that the negative association was significantly greater for men and participants older than 45 years. A restrictive cubic spline indicated that when the CVH was less than 10 points, only the risk of SPs gradually increased. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that promoting adherence to optimal CVH may be beneficial for preventing CRC.