Overview
- A peer-reviewed Circulation analysis published Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026 examined 1,283 FF-CHAYA participants with a mean age of about 23 and found roughly 80% met CKM stages 1–3.
- Researchers measured small but measurable carotid artery changes linked to CKM stage with mean-mean carotid intima-media thickness higher by 0.01 mm at stage 1, 0.027 mm at stage 2, and 0.042 mm at stage 3 versus stage 0.
- Young adults in higher CKM stages scored 7.6 to 13.2 points lower on the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 cardiovascular-health scale, reflecting worse diet, activity, sleep, nicotine exposure, weight, blood sugar, lipids, or blood pressure.
- Study authors and the AHA recommend earlier baseline screening of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose and use of Life’s Essential 8 to guide prevention, while noting the analysis is cross-sectional, uses some self-reported data, and may not generalize beyond the cohort.
- CKM is an AHA staging construct that links obesity, metabolic problems, kidney dysfunction, and heart disease, and the authors say longitudinal studies are needed to track which young adults will progress to clinical disease and to guide policy on screening and care access.