Eight healthy lifestyle measures, such as regular exercise and a healthy diet, can shave years off your biological age, according to a new study.
The study found that people who strictly adhered to the 8 Essentials of Life checklist were much more likely to have good cardiovascular health – with better functioning of the heart, blood vessels and blood.
And people with good cardiovascular health, on average, had a biological age five years younger than their chronological or actual age, a study of 6,500 adults found.
In contrast, people with poor cardiovascular health were on average four years older than their chronological age.
Slowing biological aging reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and other age-related diseases such as dementia, while prolonging life.
“We found that improvements in cardiovascular health are associated with slower biological aging—as heart health improves, biological aging slows,” said Nour Makarem of Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York.
“Better adherence to all Life’s Essential 8 dates and improved cardiovascular health can slow down your body’s aging process and provide many long-term benefits,” she said.
“Reduced biological aging is associated not only with a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, but also with longer life and a lower risk of death.”
The American Heart Association’s 8 Essential Life Checklists:
Eat better
Aim for an overall healthy diet that includes whole foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, seeds, and cooking with non-tropical oils such as olive and canola.Be more active
Adults should engage in 2.5 hours of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. Children should have 60 minutes of time each day, including play and structured activities.Quit smoking
Consumption of inhaled nicotine products, including traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes and e-cigarettes, is the leading cause of preventable death in the UK, including almost 20,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease.Ensure healthy sleep
Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Children need more: 10–16 hours for children 5 years and younger, including naps; 9-12 hours for children 6-12 years old; and 8–10 hours for children 13–18 years old.Adequate sleep promotes healing, improves brain function and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
Manage your weight
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight has many benefits. Body mass index (BMI), the number of your weight relative to your height, is a useful indicator.The BMI calculation for a healthy weight range is 18.5 to 24.9.
To calculate your BMI, divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters.
Control your cholesterol levels
High levels of non-HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or “bad” cholesterol can lead to heart disease.Your doctor may consider non-HDL cholesterol, rather than total cholesterol, to be the number to monitor because it can be measured without prior fasting and is reliably calculated in all people.
Eat a healthy diet that includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, plant proteins and lean animal proteins such as fish and seafood.
Limit your intake of sugary foods and drinks, red or processed meats, salty foods, refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods.
Control your blood sugar levels
Most of the food we eat is converted into glucose (or blood sugar), which our body uses for energy. Over time, high blood sugar can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.As part of testing, monitoring hemoglobin A1c levels may better reflect long-term control in people with diabetes or prediabetes.
Check your blood pressure
Keeping your blood pressure within acceptable limits will help you stay healthy longer. Optimal values are below 120/80 mmHg.High blood pressure is defined as a systolic pressure of 130–139 mmHg. Art. (upper measurement number) or diastolic pressure 80–89 mmHg. Art. (lower number).
“Phenotypic” age is not a calendar estimate of your actual age, but a measure of your biological age, which is calculated based on your chronological age and the results of nine “blood markers” such as glucose levels that give an idea of age. improve your metabolism, organ function and inflammation levels.
The study will be presented at the 2023 American Heart Association meeting in Philadelphia.
The researchers note that a limitation of the study is that cardiovascular data was only measured at a single point in time.
Thus, changes in cardiovascular health were not measured, and their potential impact on phenotypic age over time could not be measured.
Source: I News
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