With February as Heart Month, we wanted to share some key tips on how aging and heart health go hand in hand!
While natural changes take place in the heart as a result of aging, the plan for healthy aging and good heart health remain the same. Eating healthy and staying active.
Natural changes as the heart ages:
- Your heart may get smaller.
- The number of heart muscle cells decreases with age and some degenerate. As a result, your heart may become weaker and pump less blood.
- Your heart valves may thicken and narrow. For some people, this could decrease the forward flow of blood, causing chest pain and shortness of breath over time.
- Your arteries may thicken and become less pliant, leading to high blood pressure. The electrical system that causes the heart to beat may change.
Stay Active, Stay Young and Stay Heart-Healthy!
Remaining physically active is important, regardless of your age. And doing so might help fight off natural age-related changes in the cardiovascular system. A study in Circulation found that older athletes, on average in their 60s, had blood vessels that functioned as well as those of athletes in their 20s.
