A groundbreaking study by UK researchers has uncovered how unhealthy lifestyles can dramatically accelerate heart aging. Using advanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, scientists discovered that individuals with conditions like diabetes and hypertension can have hearts functioning significantly older than their actual age. The research offers a potential "wake-up call" for people to adopt healthier lifestyles and provides doctors with a powerful new diagnostic tool. This innovative approach could help millions prevent heart disease by identifying risks before symptoms emerge.
May 05, 2025
Unhealthy lifestyles may be ageing your heart too fast
"People
with health issues often have hearts that are ageing faster than they should -
sometimes by decades" - Dr. Pankaj Garg
Unhealthy
lifestyles are dramatically accelerating the ageing of the heart, contributing
to a global rise in several cardiovascular diseases, finds a study, led by
Indian-origin researchers in the UK.
Key
Points
1
Cardiac MRI reveals true heart age beyond chronological years
2
Diabetes and obesity can dramatically accelerate heart aging
3
Advanced imaging technique could transform heart disease diagnosis
4
Lifestyle changes can potentially slow heart's functional aging
Using
a new Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging technique, also known as
cardiovascular MRI scan, researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA)
uncovered the "true age" of a heart.
The
MRI scan revealed how unhealthy lifestyles can dramatically accelerate the
heart’s functional age.
While
among healthy people, the heart’s age was found to be similar to the
chronological age, for patients with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and
atrial fibrillation, the functional heart age was significantly higher.
“For
example, a 50-year-old with high blood pressure might have a heart that works
like it’s 55,” said lead researcher Dr Pankaj Garg, from UEA’s Norwich Medical
School and a consultant cardiologist at the Norfolk and Norwich University
Hospital.
“People
with health issues like diabetes or obesity often have hearts that are ageing
faster than they should - sometimes by decades. So, this could help doctors
step in early to stop heart disease in its tracks,” he added.
The
findings could transform how heart disease is diagnosed -- offering a lifeline
to millions by catching problems before they become deadly, said the
researchers who called their cutting-edge technique a “game changer for keeping
hearts healthier, longer”.
“It
could also be the wake-up call that people need to take better care of themselves
- whether that’s eating healthier, exercising more, or following their doctor’s
advice. It’s about giving people a fighting chance against heart disease,"
Garg said.
The
team collaborated with hospitals in the UK, Spain, and Singapore and studied
MRI scans from 557 people, of which 191 were healthy individuals, while 366 had
conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity.
Using
advanced imaging, they measured things like the size and strength of the
heart’s chambers. Then, they built a formula to calculate the heart’s
‘functional age’ and checked it against healthy hearts to make sure it was
accurate.
Heart
disease is one of the world’s biggest killers. The new MRI method gives doctors
a powerful tool to look inside the heart like never before and spot trouble
early - before symptoms even start, said the team.
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