Exploring the association between life’s essential 8 and gallstone disease in the US adult population: a population-based study utilizing NHANES data from 2017-2018

Gallstones are a prevalent health issue, with established risk factors such as diet body mass index (BMI) and physical activity. However, the role of Life's Essential 8 (LE8), a composite measure of health behaviors and biological markers, in predicting gallstone risk remains unclear. This study aims to examine the association between LE8 scores and gallstone prevalence in a U.S. adult population.

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 2836 adults. LE8 scores were categorized into tertiles, and multivariable logistic regression models assessed the relationship between LE8 and gallstones, with additional nonlinear assessment using restricted cubic spline analysis.

Gallstones prevalence was 10.37%, decreasing with higher LE8 scores. The multivariable analysis showed participants in higher LE8 tertiles had significantly lower gallstone risks compared to the lowest tertile. The spline analysis confirmed a significant nonlinear inverse association between LE8 and gallstone risk.

Higher LE8 scores correlate with a lower prevalence of gallstones, suggesting the potential of LE8 as a predictor of gallstone risk. This emphasizes the value of promoting LE8 components in public health initiatives to reduce gallstone prevalence and medical burden.