Follow these eight steps to improve heart health and slow biological aging

06 January 2024 , 08:00

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Adults with high cardiovascular health were about six years younger biologically than their chronological age, according to the study (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Having high cardiovascular health may slow the pace of biological aging, a study suggests.

According to research carried out as part of the 2015 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, adults with high cardiovascular health were about six years younger biologically than their chronological age. Using data from 6,500 adults who participated in the study, health experts also found that for people with a lower level of heart health, phenotypic age went up, meaning they were biologically "older" than expected.

Study senior author Nour Makarem, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, said: "We found that higher cardiovascular health is associated with decelerated biological aging, as measured by phenotypic age. We also found a dose-dependent association — as heart health goes up, biological aging goes down

"Phenotypic age is a practical tool to assess our body's biological aging process and a strong predictor of future risk of disease and death." The author added: "For example, the average actual age of those with high cardiovascular health was 41, yet their average biological age was 36; and the average actual age of those who had low cardiovascular health was 53, though their average biological age was 57."

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Eating healthy foods can improve our overall health (Getty Images)

To determine individuals' levels of heart health, American Heart Association's "Life's Essential 8" checklist, a list of lifestyle behaviours, was taken into consideration. According to health experts, following the eight below steps will improve overall health and give us a better chance of living for longer.

The steps include:

1. Eating better
2. Being more active
3. Quitting tobacco
4. Getting healthy sleep
5. Managing weight
6. Controlling cholesterol
7. Managing blood sugar
8. Managing blood pressure

Makarem explained: "Greater adherence to all Life's Essential 8 metrics and improving your cardiovascular health can slow down your body's aging process and have a lot of benefits down the line. Reduced biologic aging is not just associated with lower risk of chronic disease such as heart disease, it is also associated with longer life and lower risk of death."

Being more active can give us a better chance of living for longer (Getty Images)

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Throughout the study cardiovascular metrics were only measured once, so changes in heart health and its potential impact over time couldn't be determined, according to CBS News. Dr. Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, chair of the writing group for Life's Essential 8 and a past volunteer president of the American Heart Association, insists the study findings help us understand the benefits of following a healthy lifestyle.

He said: "Everyone wants to live longer, yet more importantly, we want to live healthier longer so we can really enjoy and have good quality of life for as many years as possible."

Sam Truelove