Looking for the fountain of youth? It may be much less elusive than you think. It’s your daily habits.

Improved heart health may slow biological aging, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study shows that heart-healthy behaviors based on the American Heart Association’s Life Essential 8 tool, and managing heart disease risk factors correlate with a younger biological age and lower risks of heart disease, stroke, and death.

Author Jiantao Ma of Tufts University noted that regardless of chronological age, better cardiovascular health is linked to a younger biological age. The study explored DNA methylation, a chemical modification process that regulates gene expression, as a possible mechanism affecting cell aging and mortality risk.

Researchers analyzed data from 5,682 adults in the Framingham Heart Study. Participants were assessed using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 tool, which scores cardiovascular health from 0-100 based on diet, physical activity, sleep, smoking, BMI, cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

Participants’ biological ages were estimated using four DNA methylation tools and a genetic tool assessing accelerated biological aging. Over 11-14 years, they were monitored for cardiovascular disease and mortality.

Key findings include:

• A 13-point increase in Life’s Essential 8 score reduced the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 35%, cardiovascular death by 36%, and death from any cause by 29%.
• In those with a genetic predisposition to accelerated aging, Life’s Essential 8 had a greater impact, with DNA methylation accounting for significant risk reductions.
• About 20% of the link between Life’s Essential 8 scores and cardiovascular outcomes was due to DNA methylation, rising to nearly 40% for those at higher genetic risk.

Ma emphasized the importance of heart health factors: healthy eating, physical activity, quitting tobacco, healthy sleep, managing weight, and maintaining healthy cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels.

The study supports previous research linking modifiable risk factors and DNA methylation to cardiovascular disease, suggesting DNA methylation mediates between risk factors and disease. The findings have implications for healthy aging and disease prevention.

According to the American Heart Association’s 2024 statistics, heart disease and stroke claimed more lives in the U.S. in 2021 than all cancers and chronic lower respiratory diseases combined, accounting for approximately 19.91 million global deaths. Based on this study, the good news is you don’t have to be a victim of your own genetics, there are many lifestyle ways of circumventing heart disease whether or not you are genetically predisposed.

M Carbonneau et al. Epigenetic Age Mediates the Association of Life’s Essential 8 With Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality. Journal of the American Heart Association (2024). https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.123.032743