Health
Discover the Truth About Aging Hearts: How to Protect Your Cardiovascular Health
With the growing interest in biohacking to enhance longevity and vitality, many people are becoming more aware of the distinction between chronological age and biological age. Chronological age refers to the number of years you’ve lived, while biological age indicates how “old” your cells are, providing insight into your overall health. Recently, a new dimension has been added to this understanding: “heart age,” which highlights the concerning reality that many Americans possess cardiovascular systems older than their actual age.
A study published in JAMA Cardiology has introduced a fresh perspective on assessing cardiovascular disease risk. Traditionally, risk was communicated in percentages, such as “8 out of 100 people with your profile may have a heart event in the next 10 years.” However, researchers from Northwestern Medicine have developed a new heart disease risk calculator based on the American Heart Association’s PREVENT equations. This tool offers a more relatable metric by calculating your “heart age,” which the team believes is easier for individuals to comprehend.
The PREVENT Risk Age Calculator, accessible to everyone, evaluates several metrics: diabetes status, eGFR (a measure of kidney function), and the use of anti-hypertensive or statin medications. This innovative approach aims to provide a clearer understanding of cardiovascular health.
In addition to creating the calculator, the researchers applied it to over 14,000 U.S. adults aged 30 to 79, all without a history of cardiovascular disease. The findings revealed that women had an average heart age of 55.4, compared to their chronological age of 51.3, marking an increase of 4.1 years. Men showed an even more significant disparity, with a heart age of 56.7 compared to a chronological age of 49.7, an increase of 7 years.
The study also highlighted disparities based on education and ethnicity. Nearly one-third of men with a high school education or less had heart ages exceeding their chronological age by over 10 years. Black men’s heart age was 8.5 years older, and Black women’s was 6.2 years older. Hispanic men and women had heart ages that were 7.9 and 4.8 years older, respectively. Asian men and women showed increases of 6.7 and 2.8 years, while White men and women had heart ages 6.4 and 3.7 years older, respectively.
Lead study author Sadiya Khan, MD, MSc, emphasized the importance of the calculator in healthcare discussions.
“Many people who should be on medicine to lower their risk for heart attack, stroke or heart failure are not on these medications. We hope this new heart age calculator will help support discussions about prevention and ultimately improve health for all people,” said Khan, the Magerstadt professor of cardiovascular epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
While the calculator offers valuable insights, it is not intended to replace regular medical consultations or professional advice. The research team plans to explore whether utilizing the calculator to predict risk can enhance health outcomes.
Always remember, while tools like the heart age calculator provide useful information, they should complement, not replace, professional medical guidance. For any medication or health-related queries, consulting your healthcare provider is essential.
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