"Most U.S. adults unknowingly carry a ticking time bomb: hidden heart ages that eclipse their chronological years, often by a full decade. A groundbreaking study published in JAMA Cardiology reveals that 70% of U.S. adults aged 30-79 have cardiovascular systems biologically older than their actual ages, with stark disparities along racial, gender and socioeconomic lines. The findings underscore urgent calls for tailored preventive care and mark a seismic shift in how health professionals communicate risk."
"For men, average heart age surpassed chronological age by seven years-reaching 56.7 for a 49.7-year-old male cohort. Among Black men, this gap surged to 8.5 years; Hispanic men lagged by 7.9 years. Even Asian and white men faced gaps of 6.7 and 6.4 years, respectively. Women fared slightly better but were not immune: Black women's hearts registered 6.2 years older than their true ages, while Hispanic, white and Asian women experienced gaps of 4.8, 3.7 and 2.8 years."
"Education and income further magnified the risks. Nearly one-third of men with a high school education or less had heart ages older than their chronological age by over a decade, a divide widening among Black or Hispanic respondents. "We've long known that systemic inequities affect health outcomes, but this study quantifies how deeply they shape the very biology of the heart," said Sadiya Khan, the study's senior author and a Northwestern Medicine cardiovascular epidemiologist."
Seventy percent of U.S. adults aged 30–79 have cardiovascular systems biologically older than their chronological ages. Analysis of over 14,000 adults found average male heart age exceeded chronological age by seven years, with Black men showing an 8.5-year gap and Hispanic men 7.9 years. Women showed smaller but notable gaps, including a 6.2-year excess among Black women. Lower education and income were associated with larger heart-age excesses, with nearly one-third of men with high school education or less having heart ages more than a decade older. An online heart-age calculator translates blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and smoking data into an age-based risk metric aligned with AHA guidance.
Read at Natural Health News
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