Unhealthy lifestyles linked to faster heart aging discovers the study

• Cardiologists develop a method to measure the “functional age” of the heart to help predict complications such as heart disease.
• According to new research, unhealthy lifestyle habits could contribute to the premature aging of the heart.
• Physical activity and consumption of healthy foods for the heart are some of the best ways to preserve the functional age of your heart.

The concept of trying to understand heart health by determining its “age” in relation to its chronological age has become a subject of interest among cardiologists, researchers and doctors.

Evaluation of the functional age of the heart could offer a simple and clear way to understand your state of health. It could also clarify the existing cardiovascular risks which could be minimized by making healthy lifestyle changes by the heart.

Recently, researchers from the University of East Anglia in England published the results of a test introducing a new way to measure a “functional cardiac age” using cardiac magnetic resonance analyzes (MRI), which could help detect signs of heart disease earlier.

The results, which researchers describe as a “game change”, were published on May 2 in the European Heart Journal.

“In Healthy People, We Found That Heart Age was similar to chronological age. But for patients with THINGS LIKE DIABES, Hypertension, Obesity, and Atrial Fibrillation – Their Functional Heart Age was significant,” Said Lead Researcher Pankaj Garg, MD, from Uea’s Norwich Medical School School School School and a Consultant Cardiologist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, in A press release.

“For example, a 50 -year -old man suffering from high blood pressure could have a heart that works as he is 55 years. People with health problems like diabetes or obesity often have hearts that age more quickly than they should – sometimes by decades,” Garg continued.

“So that could help doctors to intervene early to stop heart disease on their traces … Our new MRI method gives doctors a powerful tool to look inside the heart like never before and locate problems early – before the symptoms even start,” Garg said.

Jayne Morgan, MDA cardiologist with Hello Heart that chronological age may not always be coherent with biological age. “The aging process is uneven throughout his life,” she told Healthline.

Cheng-Han Chen, MDMedical Director of the Structural Heart Program at the Memorialcare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, who has not been involved in the study, noted that there is not yet a contained definition of “cardiac age”.

“This research is a good first step towards evaluation if an evaluation based on” cardiac age “imaging can provide clinically useful prognostic information,” CHEN told Healthline.

To better understand the functional age of the heart, the researchers measured the quantity of blood remaining in the left atrium of the heart after having finished a contraction phase. They also examined the fraction of the ejected blood of the left atrium with each heart contraction.

The method was validated using 366 heart patients with known cardiac risk factors.

Cardiac agents of the participants were older compared to healthy witnesses and were significantly higher in people with conditions such as high blood pressureDiabetes, atrial fibrillation and obesity.

“By knowing the true age of your heart, patients could get advice or treatments to slow down the aging process, potentially prevent Cardiac crises or lines“Said Garg in the press release.

“It could also be the awakening that people need to better take care of themselves-whether it is eating healthier, do more exercise or follow their doctor’s advice. It is a question of giving people a chance to fight against heart disease,” he added.

As people age, common heart changes Can occur, even among healthy individuals without history of heart problems.

For example, the heart can start producing additional beats or occasionally jumping a beat. It is generally not a problem unless it becomes persistent. If the heart flows frequently or floating, it can be a sign of arrhythmia.

In addition, the chambers of the heart – its ventricles and the auricular – can become larger with age. As their walls thicken, the amount of blood they may contain decreases.

Likewise, valves control the flow of blood when it passes between the bedrooms of the heart can thicken and become more rigid, limiting the flow of blood.

Heart valves can also develop leaks, which could cause an accumulation of liquid in the lungs, feet, abdomen or legs.

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 factors This can lead to premature heart aging includes:

• High blood pressure (hypertension) – With higher blood pressure, the heart must work harder to pump blood throughout the body. This can lead to thickening and enlargement of the lower left ventricle, the lower left chamber, increasing the probability of heart attacks and heart failure.
• Diabetes – Research revealed that having blood sugar Can damage blood vessels in the heart, which leads to an accumulation of fatty deposits. It is associated with a greater probability of heart disease.
• High LDL cholesterol – This causes an accumulation of plaque of a waxy and fatty substance in the arteries which can reduce blood flow to the heart, as well as the brain, the kidneys and other parts of the body.
• Obesity – Obesity has been associated with both hypertension and high LDL cholesterol levels.

There is currently no universal measures to determine the heart age, but the online heart line calculator of Australia can provide you with a quick estimate.

“We are still in the early stages of understanding the best way to determine a” cardiac age “and how such a calculation could help us take care of patients better,” noted Chen.

There is a distribution consensus This 150 -minute moderate aerobic exercise each week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise combined with strength training two days a week is the optimal amount for optimal heart health.

“A sedentary lifestyle leads to the slowdown in traffic. The heart muscle weakens and causes weight gain, high blood pressure and insulin resistance “,” Christopher BergMD, certified cardiologist of the board of directors at the Memorialcare Heart and Vascular Institute in Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, told Healthline. Berg was not involved in the study.

“Sits for long periods also promotes inflammation and poor arterial function, and as a result increases your risk of heart disease,” he said. “Even those who exercise can be threatened if they are sedentary for most of the day.”

Beyond the exercise, there are ways to add more and more movement to your day, in particular:

• take walks
• Get up and move away briefly from your office
• make yoga
• Park a longer distance from the door
• dancing
• Engage in any sport
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator when you go up or go down a few floors
• gardening and doing household work

Build meals from healthy, Unprocessed foods As much as possible, emphasizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, beans and nuts.

For proteins, focus on lean animal proteins. These include skin poultry, fish, seafood and low -fat dairy products. Alternatively, opt for plant proteins such as beans, nuts and lenses, tofu (soy) or seitan (wheat gluten).

Prepare your healthy ingredients with plants based on plants. These include virgin as olive oil and avocado oil.

Try to avoid rapid restaurants, transformed meats and other ultra-transformed foods that tend to be high trans fatty which can damage the heart.

Of course, make sure you remain hydrated and drink a lot of water Throughout the day. Coffee and tea without sweeteners are preferable to their sweet counterparts.

Smoking tobacco increases the risk of heart attacks and atherosclerosis in several ways.

Nicotine increases blood pressure and carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke reduces the amount of oxygen that a person’s blood can transport. Smoking can also damage blood and heart vessels.

Health experts recommend to avoid smoking and quit If you smoke.

Alcohol consumption has been partner With a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including strokes.

Current recommendations for consumption of moderate alcohol consumption do not require more than one glass a day for women and two drinks per day for men.

AHA notes Whether depression, anxiety and stress are linked to heart disease. Social isolation and loneliness Also associated with a higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

The priority of your mental health should therefore be part of your healthy diet for the heart.

Try to take the time to get involved with what makes you happy. Take a picturesque reader, enjoy a hobby or spend time with an animal or a human companion.

Finally, give yourself the permission to laugh. Research suggest It’s good for your heart.