Many people think of heart disease or kidney problems as issues that only affect older adults.
But new research shows that keeping your heart healthy while you’re young—especially in your 20s and 30s—can play a major role in preventing these serious illnesses later in life.
A large study in South Korea looked at health data from almost 4 million young adults between the ages of 20 and 39. The goal was to see if heart health in early adulthood affects the chances of getting heart disease, stroke, or kidney disease later on. The findings were presented at a major health conference in Chicago in 2024.
Researchers found that people who had great heart health early in life were much less likely to develop serious diseases down the road. In fact, those with the best heart health had about a 65% lower risk of getting heart problems, strokes, or kidney issues during the next 12 years.
The researchers used a tool called Life’s Simple 7, created by the American Heart Association, to measure heart health.
This tool includes things like getting regular exercise, keeping a healthy weight, not smoking, and having normal blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Although diet is usually included, this study did not have data on what participants ate. So the top score was 6 out of 6.
What they discovered was clear: the higher a person’s heart health score, the lower their risk of disease. Even people who started with low scores but improved them over time had a better chance of avoiding these health problems.
On the other hand, many people who started with perfect or near-perfect scores saw their health scores drop within a few years. Still, they were better off than those who always had poor scores.
One concerning finding was that fewer than 1% of the young adults had ideal heart health at the start of the study. And about half of those lost their good scores over time. But the good news is that those who maintained or improved their scores had fewer health problems later.
The study highlights how important it is to take care of your heart health starting at a young age—and to keep it up. Simple habits like exercising, avoiding tobacco, and getting regular health checks can go a long way.
There were some limits to the study. For example, researchers couldn’t include diet or sleep quality, which are now part of the American Heart Association’s updated guidelines called Life’s Essential 8.
Also, since the study only included people living in South Korea, the results might not apply exactly the same way to people in other countries.
Still, the message is strong: protecting your heart while you’re young can help you avoid serious diseases later. Even if your heart health isn’t perfect right now, improving it can still make a big difference. This study adds powerful evidence that young adults should start building healthy habits early and stick with them for life.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that Changing blood pressure readings is a hidden sign of heart disease and common type 2 diabetes drugs may raise heart risk.
For more about heart health, please read studies about root cause of heart rhythm disorders and Warning signal from the kidneys can predict future heart failure risk.
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