Politics
8 Steps Could Reverse Your Biological Age By 6 Years
Your biological age, which reflects how healthy your cells and tissues are, can be different to your chronological (year) age.
Excitingly, adults’ biological ages appear to be getting “younger” relative to our chronological ages in recent years.
And according to findings previously shared at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, following eight rules could slow biological ageing by six years.
Calling these “Life’s Essential 8,” the study’s senior author, Dr Nour Makarem, told the American Heart Association (AHA), “Greater adherence to all Life’s Essential 8 metrics and improving your cardiovascular health can slow down your body’s ageing process and have a lot of benefits down the line.
“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.”
What are “Life’s Essential 8”?
1) Eat better
That includes focusing on whole foods, “lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds,” and cooking with oils like olive oil and rapeseed oil.
2) Be more active
The World Health Organisation recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes of higher-intensity activity, a week for adults.
3) Quit tobacco if you smoke
In a 2022 study, smokers who quit aged 35 were expected to enjoy 6.1-8.5 years more life than those who didn’t.
But the benefits of quitting were seen among smokers of all ages (65-year-old quitters were expected to get up to 3.7 more years of life).
4) Get healthy sleep
Eight hours of sleep isn’t perfect for everyone, but adults are advised to get between seven and nine hours a night.
5) Manage your weight
BMI isn’t always a great way of evaluating your health, or even your body composition. Some doctors reccomend using a waist-to-height ratio instead.
6) Control your cholesterol intake
HDL, or “bad” cholesterol, can put you at a higher risk of heart health issues. It might get too high if you smoke, don’t exercise often, and/or eat foods high in fat.
7) Manage your blood sugar
Poorly-managed blood sugar can harm your heart, kidneys, nerves, and eyes over time. It can also increase your dementia risk.
A healthy diet, physical activity, and medications, if prescribed, can help to manage your blood sugar.
8) Manage your blood pressure
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is sometimes called a “silent killer” because while it can raise your risk of stroke and other heart-related conditions, it often shows no symptoms.
The NHS advises getting your blood pressure checked if you are over 40 and haven’t had your blood pressure checked in five years, if you think you might have high blood pressure, or if you are at a higher risk of high blood pressure.
Ideal levels are 120/80 mm Hg or under. Exercise and a healthy diet, not smoking, and good sleep, as well as medications, if prescribed, can help to keep it in check.