Biologically Older Bodies Develop Heart Failure More Often
Graded Moderate — more than 320,000 adults were followed for a median of 13.6 years; as an observational study it shows a link, not that biological aging causes heart disease.
- Design
- Prospective cohort study
- Participants
- 321,324
- Duration
- 13.6 years
- Funding
- Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province
The older adults' bodies looked biologically, the more often they developed new heart disease, especially heart failure.
Adults whose bodies looked older than their birth date suggested were more likely to develop heart disease in a large British study. The participants were 40 to 69 years old at the start. The link was strongest for heart failure, when the heart can no longer pump enough blood.
Researchers analysed data from 321,324 people in the UK Biobank, a large British health database. They used three calculation methods to estimate each person's biological age from measured values. Then they tracked who developed new heart disease over a median of 13.6 years. That happened to 36,512 people, a little more than one in nine.
For each step on a statistical scale by which biological age ran higher, the risk of heart disease rose by 16 to 20 percent, after accounting for other factors. For heart failure it rose by 26 to 52 percent, depending on the method. Adding biological age to risk prediction models made them better at predicting heart disease. Whether slowing biological aging would prevent heart disease is not something this study can show, because it only observed people.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: One author received funding from a Jiangsu Province research program. No other conflicts reported.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.