Healthy Habits at 90+: How Lifestyle Choices Shape Heart Health in the Oldest Old
Reaching the age of 90 doesn't mean it's too late to benefit from healthy lifestyle choices. The Mugello Study, focusing on individuals in their 90s, reveals that engaging in positive health behaviors—like regular physical activity, a balanced diet, and not smoking—can significantly impact cardiovascular health, even at such an advanced age. This challenges the notion that lifestyle changes are only beneficial earlier in life.
The research indicates that nonagenarians who maintained these healthy habits had better cardiovascular profiles, including lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels. This suggests that the body retains its ability to respond positively to healthy behaviors, regardless of age. It's a testament to the resilience of the human body and its capacity for improvement, even in the later stages of life.
These findings emphasize that adopting healthy habits is beneficial at any age. Whether you're 30 or 90, choices like staying active, eating well, and avoiding harmful substances can lead to tangible health benefits. It's never too early—or too late—to invest in your health.
Article Information
It's never too early, it's never too late: the potential of health behaviours for cardiovascular health in nonagenarians. Data from the Mugello Study
Published in the Journal of Gerontology: Series A. By Silvia Pancani et al.
Abstract
Background: The Life's Essential 8 (LE8) is a composite metric including four health behaviours (diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and sleep) and four health factors (body mass index, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure). This study aimed to describe the cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics promoted by LE8 in nonagenarians and to investigate their relationship with mortality at five and ten years.
Methods: This study was conducted within the framework of the Mugello Study, a longitudinal survey on nonagenarians living in the Mugello area (Tuscany, Italy). One-hundred and fifty-seven subjects (42 males and 115 females, median age 92 years) were administered a series of validated questionnaires and underwent instrumental examinations and blood withdrawal. CVH metrics were calculated according to LE8 guidelines. Physical activity and sleep duration were quantitatively estimated using a monitor device.
Results: In the male group, after 5 and 10 years of follow-up, a higher Health Behaviour score was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 0.963, p=0.005 and HR: 0.972, p=0.020; after 5 and 10 years). Differently, in the female group, no significant association was observed between the LE8 total score and sub-scores and different risk of mortality after 5 and 10 years from the interview.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of potentially modifiable behaviours in improving survival. They support resource investments to address the needs of individuals in this stage of life and encourage them to be empowered and actively engage in health-promoting behaviours.
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