Unhealthy habits and obesity could potentially accelerate the heart's biological aging by up to 45 years compared to a leaner, healthier counterpart.
Diving into the art of assessing heart health, a recent study has found an innovative approach to understanding the heart's functional age compared to its biological age. This revelation can play a pivotal role in early detection of heart issues.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal Open, based its findings on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This technique offers a comprehensive look at the heart, providing details on the heart's structure and function. Researchers used this data to develop a formula to calculate the heart's functional age, comparing it with healthy hearts for accuracy.
The findings show that certain health conditions, such as obesity and atrial fibrillation (AFib), and an unhealthy lifestyle can increase the functional age of the heart. People with these conditions may experience heart changes that differ from normal aging.
Researchers compared a healthy reference population with a testing population, which had at least one comorbidity, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity. They also used a "preliminary external validation" cohort of 25 people. By studying several components of heart structure and function, they then developed their model.
Obesity seemed to impact functional heart age, with more weight increasing heart years. Participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher had a functional heart age 45 years higher than their chronological age. For individuals with AFib, heart functional age was also higher than that of healthy individuals.
Healthy participants' heart ages were roughly the same as their real age, but unhealthy participants saw heart ages higher than their chronological age. The cardiac MRI-derived heart ages were almost five years older than the chronological age of these participants.
"We have discovered an equation-a simple math formula-that uses movies from heart MRI scans to figure out how old your heart looks. For healthy folks, their heart age matches their real age. But if someone has conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, a wonky heartbeat, or extra weight, their heart can look way older-about 4.6 years older on average. For people with a lot of extra weight, their hearts looked up to 45 years older!"- Pankaj Garg, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
This research is a promising step towards more effective cardiac health monitoring, but it also has its limitations. The work involved estimations, the functional age of the heart was estimated, and there's a risk of survivor bias since the study was not long-term. Additionally, researchers did not measure how long participants had the measured comorbidities.
Despite the limitations, determining the functional age of the heart could be a valuable 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."- Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA.
In essence, MRI plays a significant role in assessing the heart's functional age, which can be influenced by factors like obesity, atrial fibrillation, and lifestyle choices. By identifying these factors, it's possible to manage and prevent heart disease through early detection and intervention.
- The study published in the European Heart Journal Open utilizes cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the heart's functional age compared to its biological age.
- Researchers found that conditions like obesity and atrial fibrillation increase the functional age of the heart.
- People with high body mass index (BMI) and atrial fibrillation have a functional heart age significantly higher than their chronological age.
- Healthy participants' heart ages are similar to their real age, but unhealthy participants' heart ages are higher than their chronological age.
- The cardiac MRI-derived heart ages of participants with comorbidities like high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity are almost five years older than their chronological age.
- Pankaj Garg, MD, PhD, from the University of East Anglia, explains that the formula uses data from heart MRI scans to determine the heart's age, helping identify patients at risk for future heart issues.
- This research aims to improve cardiac health monitoring, although it has limitations such as estimations, risk of survivor bias, and lack of long-term measurements of comorbidities.
- Despite these limitations, calculating the functional age of the heart could serve as a preventive measure, motivating patients to improve their lifestyles and manage heart disease effectively.
