- New research finds that taking care of your heart health can help you be younger than your actual age.
- People who followed the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 had a biological age that, on average, was six years younger than their physical age.
- Doctors say this is definitely worth trying.
There’s been a focus over the last few years on not just trying to live longer, but aging in a healthy way. While you can’t change your physical age, new research suggests there are a few things you can to do to slow your biological age – that is, the age of your cells.
The study, which will be presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2023, analysed data from more than 6,500 adults who participated in the 2015–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
For the study, researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health calculated participant’s phenotypic age (a measure of a slew of biological factors) as well as the increasing phenotypic age of the participants.
The researchers discovered that people who had good cardiovascular health had a negative phenotypic age acceleration. This means their biological health markers were younger than their physical age. At the same time, people with worse cardiovascular health were biologically older than what would be expected for their age.
For example, the average actual age of people with good cardiovascular health was 41, but their average biological age was 36. By comparison, the average actual age of people with poor cardiovascular health was 53, while their biological age was 57.
The researchers found that people who scored high in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Life’s Essential 8 were more likely to have a biological age that was, on average, six years younger than their actual age.
So, what is Life’s Essential 8 and what do doctors think about this? Here’s the deal.
What is Life’s Essential 8?
There are a lot of factors that go into your biological age, including any underlying health conditions you have and your genetic makeup, says cardiologist Dr Cheng-Han Chen.
But the latest study specifically found that people who scored high in the AHA’s Life’s Essential 8 had the lowest biological ages. Life’s Essential 8 was released by the AHA in 2022.
The Australian Heart Foundation has 5 Simple Steps to Protect Your Heart. It includes eat a heart healthy diet, spend more time being active, be smoke-free, control your cholesterol levels and control your blood pressure. The AHA has similar guidelines but with the addition of get healthy sleep, manage weight and control your blood sugar.
Here are the AHA's guidelines.
Eat well
Eating well means aiming for an overall healthy eating pattern that includes whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds, and cooking with healthier oils such as olive and canola.
Be active
The AHA recommends that adults get 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. (Kids should have 60 minutes a day, including play and structured activities.)
Don’t use tobacco
The AHA recommends against using inhaled nicotine products, including traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and vaping.
Get plenty of sleep
That means aiming to get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. This promotes healing, improves brain function, and lowers your risk of chronic diseases, the AHA says.
Manage your weight
The AHA recommends achieving and maintaining a “healthy weight” with an optimal BMI of 25. However, BMI is no longer regarded as the best indicator of health, given that the number can be influenced by factors like muscle mass and body type. If you’re unsure if your weight is healthy, see your doctor for advice.
Control your cholesterol
High levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol can increase your risk of developing heart disease. The AHA recommends limiting sugary foods and drinks, red or processed meats, salty food, refined carbohydrates, and highly processed foods, and talking to your doctor about what your cholesterol levels should be.
If you have cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, pre-existing heart disease or diabetes, or you smoke, your aim for LDL cholesterol levels would be less than 2 mmol/L, reports Better Health Victoria.
Manage your blood sugar
The food you eat is turned into blood sugar (glucose) that your body uses for energy. Over time, high levels of blood sugar can damage your heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves, the AHA says, making this important to stay on top of.
Manage your blood pressure
Keeping your blood pressure within acceptable ranges can help you be healthier for longer, the AHA says. That means trying to have your blood pressure be below 120/80 mmHg.
What doctors think
Doctors applaud the study’s findings. “It’s so logical,” says cardiologist Dr Nicole Weinberg. “I see people who lead long, healthy lives who eat well and are active – it doesn’t need to be that hard. Just go for a walk after dinner, eat healthy, and have your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar checked.”
Dr Weinberg points out that, while Life’s Essential 8 focuses on heart health, it’s also helpful for overall health. “These are also good for brain, digestive, and infection health,” she says.
Cardiologist Dr Thomas Boyden agrees. “These findings are consistent with the overwhelming body of clinical research showing that healthy lifestyles, including diet, physical activity, stress reduction, good sleep, and hygiene impact overall health and lead to fewer complications from chronic medical conditions,” he says.
Dr Chen also says that it’s “not surprising” that people with good cardiovascular health would have a younger biological age.
But the study does have a limitation: it only measured certain biomarkers in participants at one point in time. “Therefore, changes in cardiovascular health were not measured, and their potential influence on phenotypic age over time could not be gauged,” says cardiologist Dr Pallavi Solanki.
Still, experts say it’s likely that following these AHA guidelines could, in fact, keep you biologically young.
If you want to do a little better in sticking with these guidelines than you currently are, Dr Solanki recommends starting slow. “Start with baby steps,” he says. That may include going for daily walks, taking the stairs, trying to get more sleep, and eating a heart-healthy diet.
“With these simple measures, one can lead a long, healthy life with an impact on longevity,” he says.
You can estimate your "heart age" with the Australian Heart Foundation's Calculator.
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