Lifestyle choices leading to obesity potentially accelerate heart's aging process by 5 to 45 years.
Keeping an eye on heart health is crucial for early detection of potential issues and finding beneficial interventions.
Researchers recently explored a technique to ascertain the functional age of individuals' hearts compared to their biological age through cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The study utilized an MRI-based model and discovered that certain health conditions, such as obesity and atrial fibrillation (AFib), and an unhealthy lifestyle could speed up the functional ageing of the heart.
Health complications can cause unique alterations in the heart that deviate from typical aging. The outcomes were published in the European Heart Journal Open.
Decoding heart age with MRI
This retrospective observational study aimed to investigate a means of measuring heart ages, distinguishing healthy from unhealthy aging, as certain risk factors, like high blood pressure, can hasten heart ageing. One potential tool for studying heart structure and functionality is cardiac MRI.
By combining two groups of participants from various locations and examining several heart features, researchers constructed a model to estimate heart age and carried out statistical analyses.
Compared to healthy groups, unhealthy participants revealed notable variations in parameters such as left ventricular mass.
Health issues linked to premature heart aging
Researchers observed a disparity between healthy and unhealthy participants' heart ages. The subjects' heart ages were around the same as their real age for healthy participants. On the other hand, unhealthy participants saw heart ages higher than their actual age, with heart ages through MRI evaluation approximating 4.6 years older on average.
Obesity was seen to contribute to an increased functional heart age, with more weight leading to higher heart years. The participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more had a functional heart age 45 years older than their actual age. Additionally, heart age was higher for participants with AFib than healthy participants.
In certain age groups, unhealthy conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes also led to greater functional heart age. This discrepancy was most significant in 40 to 49-year-old participants with diabetes. Interestingly, in older participants, aged 70 to 85 years, those with diabetes and high blood pressure had lower functional heart ages compared to healthy individuals of the same age.
Study author Pankaj Garg, MD, PhD, of the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, highlighted some key findings:
"We have uncovered an equation – a simple math formula – that uses data from heart MRI scans to figure out how old your heart looks. Healthy individuals have a heart age that matches their real age. However, if someone has conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, a wacky heart rhythm, or extra weight, their heart can appear years older."
Limitations and future perspectives
Although this work offers exciting possibilities for improved heart health monitoring, it has some limitations. Firstly, the research relied on estimations and evaluated the functional age of the heart. Secondly, the study was not long-term, potentially minimizing the true impact of comorbidities for older individuals. Thirdly, researchers did not assess factors like exercise and diet.
Patrick Kee, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at Vital Heart & Vein, who was not involved in the study, highlighted several potential limitations, including lacking long-term data and measurements that could have been advantageous. He also pointed out the study's simple focus on left atrium end-diastolic volume and left atrium ejection fraction.
Long-term investigations and understanding the impact of lifestyle changes on outcomes will be crucial. Kee also emphasized the need for larger-scale validation to confirm the model's reliability and robustness for clinical application and further exploring whether lifestyle and therapeutic interventions change the heart age trajectory due to underlying medical conditions[1][4][5].
Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, underscored the potential benefits of determining the functional age of the heart as a preventive measure:
"An assessment of a 'functional heart age' (either through imaging or other biomarkers) can potentially motivate patients to improve their lifestyles, identify patients at risk for future clinical events, and possibly even evaluate response to clinical therapeutics and interventions."
Finally, utilizing heart MRI scans, which are completely noninvasive tests and require minimal time, can help detect issues early and prevent bigger problems[3][5]. Moreover, providing people at risk for heart problems with a tangible means to compare their functional heart age with their chronological age can encourage lifestyle modifications and stronger communication between individuals and doctors[5][6].
[1] Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and cardiovascular risk assessment. cmaj.ca/content/186/7/E341[2] Assessing cardiovascular aging. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7778374/[3] Magnetic resonance imaging features of the normal heart and their analysis. radiopaedia.org/articles/magnetic-resonance-imaging-features-of-the-normal-heart-and-their-analysis-2201[4] Lifestyle and cardiovascular health. americanheart.org/healthyforgood/articles/lifestyle-and-cardiovascular-health_uhc.html[5] Heart disease risk factors. heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-disease/risk-management/heart-disease-risk-factors-causes[6] Communicating cardiovascular risk to motivate lifestyle and clinical intervention. sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213462214000028
This article is based on a scientific study and intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
- The study demonstrates that certain health conditions, such as obesity, atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, and diabetes, can speed up the functional aging of the heart, leading to a higher functional heart age.
- Researchers have developed a model using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to estimate heart age, which can help distinguish healthy from unhealthy aging.
- Unhealthy participants in the study revealed notable variations in parameters like left ventricular mass, indicating a higher functional heart age compared to healthy participants.
- In some age groups, unhealthy conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure significantly increased the functional heart age, particularly in the 40 to 49-year-old participants.
- Obese individuals, specifically those with a BMI of 40 or more, had a functional heart age 45 years older than their actual age.
- Heart age was higher for participants with atrial fibrillation (AFib) than healthy participants.
- Improving lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, could potentially lower functional heart age and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Larger-scale validation is necessary to confirm the model's reliability and robustness for clinical application and to explore whether lifestyle and therapeutic interventions change the heart age trajectory due to underlying medical conditions.
- Early detection of heart health issues using noninvasive heart MRI scans can help prevent bigger problems and encourage lifestyle modifications.
- Determining the functional age of the heart can motivate patients to improve their lifestyles, identify at-risk individuals for future clinical events, and evaluate response to clinical therapeutics and interventions.
