Unhealthy living habits, particularly obesity, potentially accelerate the aging of the heart by 5-45 years.
Evaluating the health of our heart is essential to catch any issues early and find effective interventions.
In a recent study, researchers discovered a way to calculate the functional age of people's hearts compared to their biological age, using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a tool.
The study's findings showed that unhealthy lifestyles and certain conditions like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation can increase the functional age of the heart. People with these conditions might have a heart that functions as if it were older than their actual age.
The researchers utilized a healthy reference population to compare with participants who had at least one comorbidity. They looked at several components of heart structure and function, developed a model, and conducted statistical analyses.
There were significant differences between the healthy and unhealthy groups. For example, the unhealthy group had a higher median ejection fraction, which involves how much blood the left ventricle is pumping out when it contracts.
The final model the researchers used considered left atrial end-systolic volume and left atrial ejection fraction, both of which evaluate the function of the heart's left upper chamber. These two factors were the most relevant to predicting age among 169 healthy participants.
Obesity seemed to increase the functional heart age significantly, with more weight increasing heart years. Participants with a body mass index of 40 or higher had a functional heart age 45 years higher than their chronological age. For participants with atrial fibrillation, the functional heart age was also higher than it was for healthy participants.
Determining the functional age of the heart could help motivate people to improve their lifestyles, identify patients at risk for future heart problems, and evaluate the effectiveness of treatments.
"By comparing a patient's 'functioning heart age' with their 'chronological age,' clinicians can effectively communicate 'cardiovascular risk' to encourage lifestyle and therapeutic modifications." - Patrick Kee, MD, PhD
Using cardiac MRI for heart age assessment offers several advantages. First, heart MRI scans are completely noninvasive, with only a few minutes of the test required to evaluate the heart's age. Second, it can help catch heart troubles early, potentially preventing more severe issues like heart failure.
While this research is a promising step towards more effective cardiac health monitoring, it does have some limitations. Researchers noted bias in some calculations and acknowledged the need for further long-term studies to examine the effectiveness of lifestyle changes and interventions.
[1] Understanding Heart Health through Cardiac MRI | European Heart Journal Open
[2] Assessing Functional Heart Age through Cardiac MRI | European Heart Journal
[3] Determining Heart Age with Cardiac MRI: Clinical Implications and Advancements
[4] The Importance of Heart Health: Understanding and Improving Cardiac Function with MRI.
- Seniors, particularly those with unhealthy lifestyles and chronic diseases like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation, may have hearts that function older than their actual age.
- The field of medicine, through studies like the one using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is advancing cardiovascular health assessments to catch issues early.
- In these studies, fitness and nutrition play significant roles in maintaining optimal cardiovascular health and weight management.
- Interestingly, researchers are now able to estimate the functional age of people's hearts compared to their biological age using cardiac MRI.
- Other heart diseases, such as heart failure, could potentially be prevented by identifying people at risk through heart age assessments, making fitness and exercise a critical component of health and wellness.
- Medical-conditions, such as obesity, can have a drastic impact on a person's functional heart age, with even higher BMI indicative of a higher functional heart age.
- In the study, participants with a body mass index of 40 or higher had a functional heart age 45 years higher than their chronological age.
- Despite these advancements, science continues to explore the benefits and contraindications of heart age assessments, with further long-term studies necessary to fully understand its potential implications.
- Motivating seniors to adopt healthier lifestyles and make necessary medical-conditions adjustments, such as weight management and improvement in fitness and exercise, is a key advantage of heart age assessment.
- There is growing interest in various scientific fields, such as cardiology, to further investigate heart age assessments and determine their effectiveness in promoting cardiovascular health and preventing chronic diseases.
- Overall, heart age assessment, through noninvasive cardiac MRI scans, holds promise for improving cardiovascular health by offering early disease detection and personalized preventive medicine recommendations.
