Five Major Risk Factors – arterial hypertension, hyperlipidemia, unhealthy weight (underweight, overweight, or obesity), diabetes, and smoking — account for nearly 50% of the global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

At age 50, the presence or absence of these risk factors significantly affects both:

• Lifetime risk of CVD
• Overall life expectancy

Individuals with none of the five risk factors at age 50 had:

• 13.3 additional CVD-free years (women) and 10.6 years (men)
• 14.5 more total life-years (women) and 11.8 (men) compared to those with all five risk factors.

Lifetime risk of CVD was:

• 24% in women and 38% in men with all five risk factors present at age 50.

Midlife interventions matter:

• Managing hypertension between ages 55–59 led to the greatest gain in CVD-free years.
• Quitting smoking at the same age range was linked to the greatest gain in total life-years.

The absence of these classic risk factors by midlife is associated with over a decade of extended healthy life, underlining the critical value of prevention and lifestyle modification during this period.