New Delhi, May 3 || Unhealthy lifestyles are dramatically accelerating the ageing of the heart, contributing to a global rise in several cardiovascular diseases, finds a study, led by Indian-origin researchers in the UK.
Using a new Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging technique, also known as cardiovascular MRI scan, researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) uncovered the "true age" of a heart.
The MRI scan revealed how unhealthy lifestyles can dramatically accelerate the heart’s functional age.
While among healthy people, the heart’s age was found to be similar to the chronological age, for patients with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and atrial fibrillation, the functional heart age was significantly higher.
“For example, a 50-year-old with high blood pressure might have a heart that works like it’s 55,” said lead researcher Dr Pankaj Garg, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and a consultant cardiologist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
“People with health issues like diabetes or obesity often have hearts that are ageing faster than they should - sometimes by decades. So, this could help doctors step in early to stop heart disease in its tracks,” he added.