Eight health and lifestyle measures ‘can slow biological ageing by six years’

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Scientists have said that following these measures – known as Life’s Essential 8 – promotes good heart health, which in turn may slow the pace of biological ageing. “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.” Life’s Essential 8 – the American Heart Association’s health assessment tool – was first launched in 2022 aimed at defining heart health based on four modifiable lifestyle measures and four modifiable health markers. Reduced biologic ageing is not just associated with lower risk of chronic disease such as heart disease, it is also associated with longer life and lower risk of death Prof Nour Makarem, Columbia University Irving Medical Centre Senior study author Nour Makarem, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Centre in New York City, said: “We found that higher cardiovascular health is associated with decelerated biological ageing, as measured by phenotypic age. “We also found a dose-dependent association – as heart health goes up, biological ageing goes down.” For example, the researchers said, the average actual age of those with good heart health was 41, yet their average biological age was 36; and the average actual age of those who had poor cardiovascular health was 53, though their average biological age was 57.