A groundbreaking new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has revealed that adopting heart-healthy behaviors may be the key to slowing down biological aging. The research suggests that making better lifestyle choices not only helps individuals reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke, but it can also delay the aging process of the body and its cells.
Lead researcher Jiantao Ma explained, “Our study findings tell us that no matter what your actual age is, better heart-healthy behaviors and managing heart disease risk factors were associated with a younger biological age and a lower risk of heart disease and stroke, death from heart disease and stroke, and death from any cause.”
The study focused on how DNA methylation, a leading biomarker for estimating biological age, could link cardiovascular health to cell aging and mortality risk. Researchers analyzed the risk factors of heart disease in 5,682 adults participating in the Framingham Heart Study, using interviews, physical exams, laboratory tests, and the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 tool.
Life’s Essential 8 includes key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health, such as eating healthier, increasing activity levels, quitting tobacco, ensuring restful sleep, managing weight, controlling cholesterol, and regulating blood sugar and blood pressure. Participants’ biological age was estimated based on DNA methylation and their genetic tendency toward accelerated biological aging.
Over the course of 11-14 years, participants were monitored for the occurrence of new cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular-related deaths, or deaths from any cause. The results were striking – for each 13-point increase in an individual’s Life’s Essential 8 score, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease for the first time was reduced by about 35%, death from cardiovascular disease was reduced by 36%, and death from any cause was reduced by 29%.
In individuals at higher risk of accelerated biological aging, the impact of the Life’s Essential 8 score on outcomes was even more significant, potentially through DNA methylation. DNA methylation was found to account for a 39% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular death, as well as a 78% reduction in all-cause death.
Ma emphasized the importance of focusing on heart disease and stroke health factors, stating, “While there are a few DNA methylation-based, biological age calculators commercially available, we don’t have a good recommendation regarding whether people need to know their epigenetic age. Our message is that everyone should be mindful of the eight heart disease and stroke health factors: eat healthy foods; be more active; quit tobacco; get healthy sleep; manage weight; and maintain healthy cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels.”
This groundbreaking research highlights the significant impact that lifestyle choices can have on biological aging and overall health. By adopting heart-healthy behaviors, individuals may not only reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke but also slow down the aging process of their cells, leading to a longer and healthier life.