Your heart works tirelessly to keep you going every day —so the least you can do is show it some love. However, thanks to stress, unhealthy eating, and a lack of movement (yes, those hours glued to your screen count), many people are ageing their hearts faster than they should.
You don’t need extreme lifestyle changes to keep your heart young and strong. Small, smart and healthier habits can make a big difference. Let’s dive into some simple ways to keep your heart ticking happily for years to come.
The Cleveland Clinic claims that heart ageing can occur faster than chronological age, with half of the adults assigned male at birth and 20% of adults assigned female at birth in the U.S. having a heart five years older than their chronological age. According to the clinic, this gap can be as high as 11 years for Black individuals.
To determine if your heart is ageing prematurely, the above source says to use an online heart age calculator, which quantifies your cardiovascular age based on risk factors like high blood pressure, past health issues, and family history. Ageing hearts are said to be more likely to have stiffer arteries, thickened muscle tissue, abnormalities in their conduction system, and dysfunctional valves.
“Factors like your health history can help give your healthcare provider an idea of what age your heart is and your overall risk for cardiovascular disease. The genes you inherit from your parents may play a role, but other lifestyle factors are important, too.”
To slow down the effects of ageing heart disease, the Henry Ford Health publication suggests that you follow these tips: eat heart-healthy foods, exercise regularly, manage weight, monitor blood pressure, reduce stress, reduce alcohol consumption, and quit smoking.
A plant-based diet, limiting salt and managing blood sugar is claimed to be beneficial and maintaining a healthy weight can lower the risk of heart conditions. The above source also mentions that monitoring blood pressure can help identify potential heart conditions. “Stress can impact your ageing heart, so add fun and calming activities to your routine, including ones that make you laugh.”
It is further stated that minimising alcohol consumption and quitting smoking can also help prevent heart attacks.
Also see: Could sitting for long hours cause your heart to fail?
