Your body's internal organs can become a lot older than your chronological age, and it's usually from the lifestyle choices you make.
A new study in European Heart Journal Open used an MRI to accurately assess the functional age of a person's heart, and the researchers discovered there are structural and physiological changes in the heart that are associated with unhealthy aging of that muscle.
The study included 366 people with high blood pressure, diabetes, atrial fibrillation (AFib), and/or obesity. The MRI allowed the researchers to determine how much blood was left in each participant's upper left side of the heart after a contraction of the heart muscles and how much blood was pumped out of the heart chamber by that contraction.
The researchers then compared that to what a healthy heart can do and discovered that obesity, AFib, and high blood pressure each made the heart's functional age almost five years older than the participants' chronological age.
How do you mend your broken heart — or keep it from breaking in the first place?
You know the drill: Cut out red meats and red, processed meats, full-fat dairy, highly processed foods, and added sugars; get 150-300 minutes of moderate to intense exercise a week; practice stress reduction with a good sleep routine and meditation; hang with your posse and find a purpose that fulfills you.
And for 30-plus more clever ways to stay healthy in every organ system, check out chapter 13 in my book "The Great Age Reboot."