Your Aging Heart: What’s Happening?
Changes in the HeartAs we age, certain changes in the heart are inevitable. Even in the absence of disease, the walls of the heart thicken, heart rate slows, maximum heart rate declines, and the heart doesn’t pump as efficiently as it once did. Some scientists speculate that some of these changes occur because the heart is adjusting—not necessarily declining—as the years go by. With each passing decade, our hearts relax more slowly than when we were young, causing the heart to fill with blood more slowly, pump more slowly at rest, and not keep pace as well with demand when we exercise. These adjustments make it difficult for the heart to pump as efficiently as it once did. Changes in the ArteriesAs people grow older, their arteries—which carry blood away from the heart—grow stiffer, and the walls get thicker. This process, part of atherosclerosis (the build-up of fatty deposits on the inside of the arteries) significantly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. The major causes of atherosclerosis include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and cigarette smoking. Lifestyle Changes: Exercise and DietRegular aerobic exercise can reduce age-related stiffening of the arteries. People who are more physically fit have less stiff, more compliant arteries. Diets high in saturated fats and trans fats have been shown to raise LDL ("bad cholesterol") cholesterol levels. High LDL cholesterol is associated with atherosclerosis, which increases the risk for stroke and heart disease. By replacing saturated and trans fats like red meat and margarine with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats like fish and olive oil (which raise healthy HDL ["good" cholesterol] cholesterol), you can decrease the chance of having fatty deposits in your arteries. What Lies AheadAs researchers are discovering that it may not be age, but age-associated changes, that make older people at higher risk for heart problems, more research is on the way. Studies are trying to determine what we should eat and how much exercise we should get to prevent some of these age-associated changes. Further research is looking into how drugs and gene therapies can prevent the decline of heart health with age. While this research is taking place, it is important to remember that making certain lifestyle changes is one of the safest, most effective ways to promote heart health. To help keep your heart healthy as you grow older, adopt the following lifestyle changes:
As you get older, it is important to visit your physician regularly. By keeping tabs on cardiovascular risk factors, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, you can make lifestyle changes and get access to medications before you get heart disease or have a stroke. American Heart Association National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Canadian Cardiovascular Society Cardiac Health Foundation of Canada Aging heart and arteries: a scientific quest. National Institute on Aging website. Available at: http://www.nia.nih.... Accessed June 26, 2012. Atherosclerosis. American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.heart.o.... Accessed June 26, 2012 Coronary artery disease. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated June 7, 2012. Accessed June 26, 2012. Kiewra K, Heart disease. Harvard Public Health Review. Available at: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats.html. Accessed June 26, 2012. Last reviewed June 2012 by Brian Randall, MD |
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