A groundbreaking new study from the Mayo Clinic suggests the factors influencing heart health extend far beyond traditional risk assessments. Analyzing data from over 280,000 patients,researchers have found that financial strain and food insecurity can significantly accelerate heart aging,perhaps to a greater degree than high blood pressure or cholesterol. Published December 18 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings,the research utilizes artificial intelligence to quantify “cardiac age” and underscores the critical,and frequently enough overlooked,role of social determinants of health in cardiovascular disease.
A Mayo Clinic study of 280,000 patients reveals that financial strain and food insecurity are key drivers of a heart aging faster than a person’s chronological age, highlighting the significant impact of social determinants on cardiovascular health.
Worries about money and having enough to eat can take a surprising toll on heart health, potentially aging it more rapidly than traditional risk factors like high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol, according to new research. The study, published December 18 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, offers a novel look at how social determinants of health – factors such as stress, housing instability, or access to food – accelerate cardiac aging and increase mortality risk, sometimes even outweighing established clinical conditions. Understanding these connections is crucial for addressing health inequities and improving overall cardiovascular care.
Researchers, led by cardiologist Dr. Amir Lerman of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, analyzed data from over 280,000 adult patients who received care at the institution between 2018 and 2023. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing nine aspects of their social lives, including stress levels, physical activity, loneliness, financial difficulties, food security, and transportation needs. Surprisingly, it was the interplay of these factors – rather than any single issue in isolation – that showed the strongest correlation with a prematurely aged heart.
Cardiac age was calculated using an emerging technology: an artificial intelligence algorithm applied to routine electrocardiograms (ECGs). This “ECG-IA” estimates the heart’s biological age, which can differ significantly from a patient’s chronological age. The difference between the two is termed the “cardiac age gap” and serves as a powerful indicator. A heart that appears older than its owner suggests a substantially increased future risk of cardiovascular problems.
“Traditional risk factors don’t fully explain or contribute equally to cardiovascular disease,” explained Dr. Amir Lerman. “There are social factors that we haven’t identified or questioned with our patients that could potentially reverse biological aging,” he added, outlining the motivation behind the research. The results clearly demonstrate that, across the general population and in analyses separated by sex, “financial strain” and “food insecurity” were the social determinants with the greatest impact on accelerated heart aging. Housing instability and a sedentary lifestyle also proved to be strong predictors of increased mortality risk, comparable to or even exceeding some conventional risk factors.
The key finding isn’t simply that social problems are bad for the heart – a concept already suspected by the medical community. This innovative study reveals the *specific weight* of these factors within a complex model that considers their interaction with other patient conditions. The methodological novelty lies in using ECG-IA to objectively quantify this damage, offering a non-invasive screening tool that could one day become routine in clinical settings. Detecting anomalous cardiac aging on a standard electrocardiogram could serve as an early warning sign for the presence of dangerous, yet often overlooked, social risk factors.
The authors acknowledge limitations in the study. The AI algorithm was developed and validated internally at Mayo Clinic, and the majority of participants identified as non-Hispanic white individuals, which may limit the direct applicability of the findings to other populations and racial or ethnic groups. Despite these caveats, the study opens a critical window for a shift in clinical practice.
The study has profound practical implications. By mapping the most critical social factors, the research provides a roadmap for more targeted preventive interventions, both within communities and in medical offices. “It allows us to intervene preventively and in a targeted manner in the community and empowers physicians to provide patient-centered care, addressing the social context that contributes to heart disease,” Dr. Lerman concluded. The challenge now for the healthcare system is to develop mechanisms to integrate this social assessment into daily clinical practice, building bridges between medicine and social support networks.
Referência bibliográfica:
Lerman, Amir et al. Social Determinants of Health, Cardiac Age Gap, and Mortality: A Novel Analysis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Elsevier, 18 dez. 2025. Disponível em: https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/worrying-about-money-and-food-ages-the-heart-faster-than-traditional-risk
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