Certain lifestyle habits, like maintaining a healthy diet and getting enough exercise, may slow the biological aging process, a new study finds.
The study, published in May in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that people who prioritized eight heart-healthy behaviors had a lower risk of heart disease and total mortality. These benefits were even greater for people prone to more rapid biological aging.
A person's biological age refers to their physical condition and health, not the length of time they have lived.
People whose biological age is higher than their chronological age experience a process called accelerated aging and are more likely to develop certain health conditions, including cardiovascular disease. Accelerated aging can be influenced by social determinants such as access to health care, but genetic factors also play a role.
But while accelerated ageing puts people at higher risk of adverse heart health effects, a new study finds that simple lifestyle changes can help reduce this risk.
“Regardless of their biological aging status, people need to be conscious of[certain healthy habits]: eating better, being more active, quitting tobacco, getting healthy sleep, managing their weight, controlling their cholesterol, controlling their blood sugar, controlling their blood pressure,” senior study author and assistant professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University told Health. “[These are]the keys to reducing the disease burden.”
Here's what experts have to say about accelerated aging, cardiovascular health, new research, and simple steps you can take to keep your heart healthy.
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For the new study, Marr and his team analyzed data from more than 5,600 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, which has been collecting data since 1948. The average age of participants was 56 years old.
First, the researchers determined which participants were genetically predisposed to accelerated aging. To do this, they looked for genetic variants related to DNA methylation, a process that controls the expression of different genes in the body.
“DNA methylation is a set of chemical marks that can be added or removed from DNA, allowing individuals to adapt to their environment as needed,” Shannon Gillespie, PhD, assistant professor of nursing and clinical and translational immunobiologist at The Ohio State University College of Nursing, told Health.
These chemical marks on the genetic code “can influence which genes are turned on or off and therefore shape our health over time,” Gillespie adds, providing researchers with clues about a person's biological age.
The researchers looked at each participant's risk of accelerated aging as well as their lifestyle habits. Ma and his team used the American Heart Association's (AHA) Life's Essential 8 tool, which allows doctors to give a health score on a scale of 0 to 100. To assess people using Life's Essential 8, the researchers used a combination of interviews, lab tests, and physical exams to analyze eight factors, including:
Diet, smoking status, physical activity, BMI (body mass index), sleep time, cholesterol, blood sugar level, blood pressure
Study participants were followed for 11 to 14 years, and researchers recorded the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular death, or death from any cause.
The study found that for every 13-point increase in the Life's Essential 8 score, there was a 35% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a 36% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 29% lower risk of death from any cause.
These reductions were even more pronounced in people genetically predisposed to accelerated aging, with this group of people experiencing a 39% reduction in both their risk of cardiovascular disease and death from cardiovascular disease, and a 78% reduction in their risk of death from any cause.
The findings support the idea that lifestyle factors can influence a person's biological age, which in turn can affect their risk of cardiovascular disease and death, Ma explained.
While the findings are interesting, Ma said there are still some limitations to their application.
First, most of the participants were “predominantly of European descent,” so the findings may not be universally generalizable, the researchers wrote.
The study also suggests that people experiencing accelerated aging could see even greater health benefits from living a heart-healthy lifestyle. But right now, there's no way for people to determine their own genetic risk for accelerated aging. “We don't have any recommendations for how the general public should access this information,” Marr said.
Nevertheless, Ma and other researchers around the world are continuing to learn more about how accelerated aging affects heart disease.
“There's a lot of interest in the connection between biological aging and longevity, with scientists looking at our genes and how they change due to unhealthy lifestyle choices,” Nica Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist and clinical associate professor at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, told Health.
The new research ties in with previous studies suggesting that “cellular senescence may lead to increased susceptibility to heart disease and other cardiometabolic diseases,” Goldberg said. “Cellular senescence leads to aging of blood vessels, making arteries more susceptible to cholesterol buildup and causing metabolic changes.”
While more research is needed, the new report highlights the importance of following the healthy habits outlined in the Life Essentials 8 program, Tamara Horwich, M.D., a cardiologist and professor of Health Sciences Clinical Medicine and Cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Health.
“All eight lifestyle factors we looked at in this study work together to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, especially in people with poor epigenetic aging scores,” Horwich said. But even people who aren't genetically predisposed to accelerated aging should prioritize the Life Essentials 8, experts agreed.
To improve your Life's Essential 8 score, the AHA recommends prioritizing a nutritious diet, getting enough exercise and sleep, avoiding tobacco, maintaining a healthy weight, and managing your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
Experts say it's also important to talk to your doctor about your Life's Essential 8 score to learn more about how to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
