۸ Lifestyle Factors May Slow Aging, Reduce Risk of Death

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites statistics showing that heart disease is the No. 1 killerTrusted Source in the nation among women, men, and most racial and ethnic groups.
In fact, the agency states that heart disease accounted for about 20% of all deaths in the year 2021.
One of several risk factors for heart disease is age.

However, a May 29, 2024, studyTrusted Source published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that heart-healthy behaviors and risk factor management can reduce people’s risk for heart disease and death from any cause, including heart disease and stroke, regardless of age.

Studying the effects of DNA methylation on aging
The study’s goal was to learn whether a process called “DNA methylation,” which is known to regulate gene expression, could influence cell aging and people’s risk of dying.

The research team examined data for 5,682 adults, over half of whom were women (56%), and with an average age of 56.
These people were interviewed in addition to physical exams and laboratory tests being run. They were also assessed using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 tool.

Life’s Essential 8 includes four behaviors:
• nightly hours of sleep
• whether people smoke
• how much physical activity they get
• how well they eat
It also includes four clinical measurements:
• body mass index (BMI)
• blood sugar
• cholesterol
• blood pressure

Based on all of these factors, people were assigned a score on a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the best possible score.
The researchers didn’t stop here, however. They also used four other tools to estimate biological age based on DNA methylation and a fifth tool to gauge people’s genetic tendency toward rapid biological aging.

Study participants were followed for the next 11-14 years to see if they developed cardiovascular disease or died.
How heart-healthy behaviors were linked to reduced cell aging
After the investigators analyzed the data, they found that the higher people scored on Life’s Essential 8, the lower their risk was for developing cardiovascular disease.

Takeaway
Scientists found that heart-healthy behaviors — Life’s Essential 8 — were linked with reduced cellular aging.
These lifestyle factors may support cellular health by preventing methylation, which can influence gene expression.