Healthy Lifestyle Habits Could Help Prevent Premature Heart Aging

• Cardiologists are developing a method for measuring the heart’s “functional age” to help predict complications like heart disease.
• According to new research, unhealthy lifestyle habits could contribute to premature aging of the heart.
• Physical activity and eating heart-healthy foods are some of the best ways to preserve your heart’s functional age.

Assessing the heart’s functional age could offer a simple, clear way to understand its health status. It might also clarify existing cardiovascular risks that could be minimized by making heart-healthy lifestyle changes.
“In healthy people, we found that heart age was similar to chronological age. But for patients with things like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and atrial fibrillation — their functional heart age was significantly higher,” said lead researcher Pankaj Garg, MD, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and a consultant cardiologist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, in a press release.

“For example, a 50-year-old with high blood pressure might have a heart that works like it’s 55. People with health issues like diabetes or obesity often have hearts that are aging faster than they should — sometimes by decades,” Garg continued.
“So, this could help doctors step in early to stop heart disease in its tracks… Our new MRI method gives doctors a powerful tool to look inside the heart like never before and spot trouble early — before symptoms even start,” Garg said.

Signs of heart aging
As people age, common heart changesTrusted Source may occur, even among healthy individuals with no prior history of heart problems.
For instance, the heart may begin to produce extra beats or occasionally skip a beat. This is not generally a problem unless it becomes persistent.
In addition, the heart’s chambers — its ventricles and auricles — may grow larger with age. As their walls thicken, the amount of blood they can hold decreases.

The risk of arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation (AFib), increases, with the accompanying risk of stroke, particularly among older adults.
Similarly, the valves controlling the flow of blood as it passes between the heart’s chambers may thicken and become stiffer, limiting the flow of blood.
Heart valves may also develop leaks, which could lead to fluid buildup in the lungs, feet, abdomen, or legs.

What causes premature heart aging?
As indicated by the new study, people with certain health conditions may have a higher risk of premature heart aging.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), four common factorsTrusted Source that may lead to premature heart aging include:
• High blood pressure (hypertension).
• Diabetes.
• High LDL cholesterol.
• Obesity