8 PROVEN WAYS TO SLOW DOWN BIOLOGICAL AGING

The magic of stopping the aging process has not been solved yet, unfortunately, but can it be slowed down? According to the American Heart Association’s research, there are eight ways to slow biological aging.

You may be 30, but that doesn't necessarily mean your health is the same age. Chronological age is how long you have been alive, and biological age is how old your cells are, per Northwestern Medicine.

Then there's your phenotypic age. “Phenotypic age is calculated based on a person’s chronological age plus blood markers for metabolism, inflammation, and organ function. The difference between that and a person’s actual age determines their phenotypic age acceleration,” Euronews said.

Adding that, “A higher phenotypic age acceleration indicates faster biological aging. People with high cardiovascular health, for instance, had negative phenotypic age acceleration.”

So, how well you prioritize your health has a lot to do with the rate at which you age.

How does heart health impact aging?

Ideally, you want your heart health to be the same as your chronological age or younger. But, in the United States, 20% of women, and as many as 50% of the male population, have a heart age five years older than their actual age, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

It should go without saying that heart health plays a vital role in how long we stay alive; however, it doesn't seem to be a priority for many. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, emphasizing that every 33 seconds, a person dies from a heart-related condition, and every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack.

What are ‘Life’s Essential 8’?

Research that was presented at the annual American Heart Association meeting analyzed how to slow biological aging using eight lifestyle behaviors recommended by the American Heart Association.

The research found that “After accounting for a range of socioeconomic factors, adults with high cardiovascular health were about six years younger biologically than their chronological age.” Here are the eight health factors to embody a healthier lifestyle:

1. Eat better

The impact of eating a balanced diet can be a matter of life and death, so much so that Harvard Health said 400,000 deaths could be avoided yearly if healthy eating was prioritized.

It emphasized that not eating a balanced diet increases the risk of cardiovascular disease because of the risk of being diagnosed with other diseases that directly impact heart health:

Being obese elevates the likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes, and both conditions are associated with a higher risk of heart disease.
Hypertension is more prevalent in individuals who consume a lot of salt and are obese.
Dietary choices influence cholesterol levels.
Studies indicate that insufficient fruits, vegetables and fiber in one’s diet may raise the risk of certain heart issues.

2. Be active

The CDC recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week and at least two days of muscle training, adding that, “Physical activity supports physical and mental health. The benefits of physical activity make it one of the most important things you can do for your health.”

In regards to heart health, exercise keeps your heart young. Working out “improves your heart’s ability to pump blood to your lungs and throughout your body. As a result, more blood flows to your muscles, and oxygen levels in your blood rise,” according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

3. Avoid tobacco

“Use of inhaled nicotine delivery products, which includes traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping, is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., including about a third of all deaths from heart disease,” per the American Heart Association.

The Food and Drug Administration said smoking puts you at a greater risk of the following heart-related diseases:

Hypertension (hyper blood pressure).
Coronary heart disease.
Stroke.
Heart disease.
Aneurysm.
Peripheral artery disease.

4. Get a good amount of sleep

When you sleep, your body is its most active. “The brain stores new information and gets rid of toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and reorganize, which supports healthy brain function. The body repairs cells, restores energy, and releases molecules like hormones and proteins,” per Healthline.

The amount of sleep we need changes as we age, according to the Sleep Foundation:

Infants: 12-16 hours (including naps).
Toddlers: Between 10-14 hours (including naps).
Children: 9-12 hours.
Teenagers: 8-10 hours.
Adults: 7 or more hours.

5. Maintain a healthy weight

Weight health is measured using the body mass index scale. “If the BMI calculation is below 18.5, the person is considered underweight. The number considered a healthy weight is between 18.5 and 24.9, while the calculation above 25 is considered overweight. Anything 30 or above indicates obesity,” the Deseret News previously reported.

It emphasized that “Excess weight has been linked to heart disease, sleep apnea, certain cancers, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and a higher risk of stroke.”

6. Manage cholesterol

The body requires cholesterol to create sustainable cells, but if cholesterol levels are too high, you are at a greater risk of heart disease.

“With high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits grow, making it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries,” per the Mayo Clinic. “Sometimes, those deposits can break suddenly and form a clot that causes a heart attack or stroke.”

7. Manage blood sugar

Our body takes the food we eat and turns it into glucose for our body to then use as energy. “Over time, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart. People with diabetes are also more likely to have other conditions that raise the risk for heart disease,” the CDC said.

8. Manage blood pressure

Known as the silent killer, “Almost 50% of Americans ages 20 and above — which equates to over 122 million individuals — suffer from high blood pressure,” the Deseret News previously reported.

The systolic pressure and diastolic pressure measure blood pressure.

“The systolic pressure (higher number) is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body,” according to the National Health Service.

The “diastolic pressure (lower number) is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels between heartbeats when blood is pumped around your heart. They’re both measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg),” the NHS said.

“These findings help us understand the link between chronological age and biological age and how following healthy lifestyle habits can help us live longer,” said Dr. Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, chair of the writing group for Life’s Essential 8, per the American Heart Association.

“Everyone wants to live longer, yet more importantly, we want to live healthier longer so we can really enjoy and have good quality of life for as many years as possible,” Lloyd-Jones added.

2023-11-08T02:03:24Z dg43tfdfdgfd