When it comes to non-communicable diseases, all are interconnected, as shown by the mounting evidence. Now, one of the studies shows that heart health can also predict bone health in adults. Thus, the better the heart health, the more robust the bones are.
Osteoporosis is a significant problem in older adults characterized by reduced bone mineral density and increased fracture risk. One-third of women over 50 and one-fifth of men are living with osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is not just due to calcium or vitamin D deficiency. It also occurs due to hormonal changes, inflammation, a sedentary lifestyle, and many other reasons. That is why those living with metabolic health issues are also more likely to have weaker bones.
Despite the known link between metabolic health and bone mineral density (BMD), no one has looked into the role of heart health in BMD. One of the new studies using Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) scores could establish the link, providing sound evidence that heart health and BMD are correlated.
In this study, researchers analyzed the data of 39,156 adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2018 database. They excluded those who were younger than 20 or older than 59 from the study. They also excluded high-risk groups for osteoporosis, like postmenopausal women and those living with chronic diseases known to affect bone metabolism. This is because they wanted to explore the role of heart health in bone health specifically. After excluding, 2159 participants remained.
To assess the heart health of individuals, researchers used the LE8 scoring system developed by the American Heart Association. It looks into four behavioral factors: diet, physical activity, smoking, and sleep, as well as health factors like BMI, lipid profile, blood glucose, and blood pressure. Based on these eight factors, individuals are assigned LE8 scores ranging from 0-100. Additionally, they used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to measure BMD from various sites.
Further, researchers also adjusted data for other factors like age, lifestyle, and vitamin D intake. After adjusting for various confounding factors, researchers still found a significant association between LE8 scores and BMD at various anatomical sites like lumbar and thoracic spine and trunk, and so on.
They also found that higher LE8 scores were more likely to be associated with better health in those living with normal BMI. However, less benefit was seen in underweight and overweight individuals. Similarly, a greater correlation was seen in relatively young adults, those aged 20-34.
Thus, this study shows that better heart health is associated with better bone health or BMD. Further, it also shows that interventions aimed at improving heart health are also good for bone health. Thus, increasing physical activity, calcium intake, and maintaining optimal body weight were all associated with better bone health.
Hence, this study confirms that one can also improve bone health by improving cardiovascular health. It further adds to the existing evidence that everything is interrelated when it comes to metabolic health.
Therefore, it is vital to boost overall health rather than trying to manage specific metabolic health issues in isolation. So, improving heart health may also improve bone health and vice versa. Further, it also shows that issues with one of the body systems may suggest issues with other body systems. Thus, poor bone health may also indicate declining heart health.
Source:
Cui, Y., Xu, Z., Cui, Z., Guo, Y., Wu, P., & Zhou, X. (2025). Association between life’s essential 8 and bone mineral density among adults aged 20–59 years. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 2664. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86749-7
Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
