Premature Heart Aging Linked to Overweight, Poor Lifestyle Habits: Up to 45 Years' Worth of Age Accumulation Possible
Getting a pulse on your heart health is crucial to catch potential issues early and find effective treatments. In a recent study, researchers proposed a technique for determining the functional age of a heart compared to the person's biological age using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
They noted that modifiable risk factors, such as high blood pressure, can speed up the heart's aging process. Cardiac MRI gives doctors a peek into the structure and function of the heart, making it a strong candidate for examining heart changes related to healthy and unhealthy aging.
To dive deeper into this, the study analyzed 191 healthy participants and compared them to 366 participants who had at least one comorbidity like high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity. They also incorporated a group of 25 people for preliminary external validation.
Participants hailed from five different locations across three countries, allowing researchers to investigate various heart aspects. By examining several components of the heart's structure and function, they developed a model to calculate the functional age of the participants and performed statistical analyses.
Healthy and unhealthy groups displayed distinct heart differences. For instance, the unhealthy group had a higher median ejection fraction, which measures blood pumped out by the left ventricle during contraction.
The final model considered left atrial end-systolic volume and left atrial ejection fraction, which evaluate the left upper chamber's function. These factors proved to be significantly related to age among the healthy participants.
The study results showed that healthy participants' heart ages were roughly the same as their actual age. On the other hand, unhealthy participants exhibited higher heart ages. In fact, their cardiac MRI-derived heart ages were approximately five years older than their chronological age.
Obesity seemed to boost the functional heart age, with increased weight resulting in more heart years. Participants with a body mass index of 40 or higher had a functional heart age 45 years higher than their age. Those with atrial fibrillation also had a higher functional age than the healthy participants.
Healthy participants in certain age groups were affected differently by health conditions. For example, high blood pressure led to increased functional heart age in participants between 30 and 69. However, in the 70-85-year-old group, participants with diabetes and high blood pressure had lower functional heart ages than healthy participants of the same age.
Dr. Pankaj Garg, one of the study authors, explained the findings as follows, "We have discovered an equation-a simple math formula-that uses data from heart MRI scans to figure out how old your heart looks. For healthy folks, their heart age matches their real age. But if someone has conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, a wonky heartbeat, or extra weight, their heart can look way older-about 4.6 years older on average. For people with a lot of extra weight, their hearts looked up to 45 years older!"
Although this study represents a promising advancement in cardiac health monitoring, it does come with limitations. First, it involved estimations and calculated the functional age of the heart. Second, due to the study's short duration, there's a higher risk for survivor bias, potentially underestimating the comorbidity impact on older people. Lastly, researchers did not monitor the length of participant exposure to comorbidities, which could have varied among unhealthy participants.
Further long-term research, examining lifestyle changes and interventions, would be valuable for developing a comprehensive understanding of the heart's functional age and its connection with cardiovascular health.
Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, a board-certified interventional cardiologist, suggested that assessing the functional heart age could be a useful preventative measure. "An assessment of a 'functional heart age' (either through imaging or other biomarkers) can potentially motivate patients to improve their lifestyles, identify patients at risk for future clinical events, and possibly even evaluate response to clinical therapeutics and interventions."
Using cardiac MRI offers several advantages since the tests are completely noninvasive with a minimal time commitment, making it easier to screen a large number of people quickly.
By comparing a person's functional heart age to their chronological age, doctors can effectively communicate cardiovascular risk, encouraging lifestyle and therapeutic modifications to deter the decline in heart health. Tracking changes over time lets doctors adjust treatment plans before any irreversible damage occurs.
- Seniors with other heart diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity, might find their heart ages exceed their biological ages, based on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings.
- Obesity can contribute significantly to a higher functional heart age, as revealed in the study, with a body mass index of 40 or higher resulting in a functional heart age 45 years higher than actual age.
- Participants with atrial fibrillation also showed a higher functional heart age compared to healthy participants.
- Healthy participants' heart ages were consistent with their actual age, contrasting those with comorbidities, whose heart ages were approximately five years older.
- Modifiable risk factors, like high blood pressure, can hasten the aging process of the heart according to the study results.
- Fitness and exercise, nutrition, and weight-management practices can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases and positively impact cardiovascular health.
- In the study, high blood pressure led to an increased functional heart age in participants between 30 and 69. However, an inverse trend was observed in the 70-85-year-old group, where participants with diabetes and high blood pressure had lower functional heart ages than healthy counterparts of the same age.
- Cardiac MRI scans can provide valuable insights into heart changes related to healthy and unhealthy aging by presenting doctors with a peek at the heart's structure and function.
- The study's findings suggest that the equation derived from cardiac MRI scans can effectively estimate the functional age of a heart, potentially serving as a useful preventative measure in motivating patients to improve their lifestyles and maintain heart health.
- Science and medical advancements continue to help us better understand cardiovascular health, including the connections between lifestyle choices, mental health, and disease risks.
- Long-term research into the impact of lifestyle changes and interventions on the functional heart age is crucial for developing a comprehensive understanding of cardiovascular health and the prevention of potential issues.
