Aging of the heart due to obesity and unhealthy lifestyle habits can range from 5 to 45 years.
Health monitoring are vital to catch heart issues early and open the door for effective interventions. Here's a fresh take on a study revolving around calculating the functional age of people's hearts compared to their biological age.
To gain insights into heart aging, a research team focused on developing a way to determine the functional age of people's hearts through cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Their findings suggest that health problems like obesity and atrial fibrillation (AFib), coupled with an unhealthy lifestyle, can increase the functional age of the heart.
Researchers used data from nearly 660 participants across five locations and three countries to create a model based on the left atrial end-systolic volume and left atrial ejection fraction, which both evaluate the function of the left upper chamber of the heart. The results indicated that the heart ages of healthy participants were roughly equivalent to their biological age. However, participants with certain conditions, such as obesity, AFib, high blood pressure, and diabetes, displayed significantly higher heart ages.
For example, participants with a body mass index of 40 or higher had a functional heart age 45 years higher than their biological age. Similarly, patients with AFib also showed a higher functional heart age as compared to healthy participants.
The researchers published their findings in the European Heart Journal Open, shedding light on how health conditions contribute to premature aging of the heart. If you're curious, here's a nifty yet informal take on it:
Think of it this way - we've discovered a clever little formula that can figure out the true age of your heart. For individuals living an all-round healthy lifestyle, their heart's genuine age and their biological age are literally the same. On the flip side, if someone has health issues like AFib, extra weight, high blood pressure, or diabetes, their heart may appear to be up to 45 YEARS OLDER than their actual age!
Of course, more research is needed to refine this heart aging model and determine if lifestyle and therapeutic interventions can help prevent or delay heart aging due to underlying medical conditions.
Ultimately, this study could prove to be a game-changer in monitoring cardiac health and encouraging people to make lifestyle modifications to improve their heart's health and overall well-being.
- Other heart diseases, such as atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, and diabetes, can lead to an accelerated aging of the heart, causing it to function as if it were older than the individual's biological age.
- The findings of the study suggest that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help keep the heart at its biological age or even improve its function.
- The European Heart Journal Open published a study that uses cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to calculate the functional age of people's hearts based on their medical conditions and lifestyles.
- Obese individuals with a body mass index of 40 or higher were found to have a functional heart age that is 45 years older than their biological age.
- Researchers observed that a higher functional heart age was associated with certain medical conditions, including obesity, atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
- By understanding how medical conditions affect heart aging, health professionals can develop targeted interventions to improve cardiovascular health and prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, and chronic kidney disease.
- Encouraging people to adopt a healthier lifestyle, which includes fitness and exercise, nutrition, and regular checks for medical conditions, can help maintain optimal cardiovascular health and overall health and wellness.
- This heart aging model could revolutionize health monitoring by enabling early detection of heart issues and providing insights into preventive measures aimed at improving cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
