As the global population ages, with projections indicating a doubling of individuals aged 65 and older by 2050 to represent roughly 23% of the total population in wealthier nations, researchers are increasingly focused on understanding the factors that contribute to healthy aging. This shift in focus has spurred a search for new indicators of biological age, going beyond traditional health metrics.
A new study highlights the significant impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on heart health, revealing that financial hardship and food insecurity can accelerate biological aging of the heart and increase mortality risk – even more so than traditional cardiovascular risk factors. The research, which analyzed data from over 280,000 participants, underscores the critical need to address these often-overlooked factors in patient care.
“Our current research is motivated by the realization that traditional risk factors don’t fully explain cardiovascular diseases,” explained Dr. Amir Lerman, a cardiovascular medicine researcher at the Mayo Clinic. “There are social factors that we aren’t identifying or asking about with our patients that could be reversing the process of biological aging.”
The study is notable for its comprehensive evaluation of the contribution of social determinants of health to cardiac aging. Researchers assessed SDOH using a questionnaire covering nine areas: stress levels, physical activity, social connections, housing stability, financial difficulties, food security, transportation access, nutrition, and education. Participants’ cardiac age was then evaluated using an artificial intelligence-assisted electrocardiogram (ECG-IA) algorithm.
The analysis revealed several key findings:
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social determinants of health (SDOH) are the most significant factor in cardiac aging,
- outperforming traditional clinical risk factors;
- among all SDOH, financial hardship and food insecurity had the most substantial impact on heart aging;
- financial strain, unstable housing, and a sedentary lifestyle are powerful predictors of increased mortality risk, equaling or even exceeding the impact of conventional mortality risk factors.
These findings emphasize the crucial role of social determinants of health in both heart health and overall mortality. Identifying these key risk factors could allow for targeted preventative interventions and patient-centered care that considers an individual’s social context, and history. The study’s results could lead to more holistic approaches to cardiovascular care, addressing not just medical factors but also the social and economic conditions that impact health.
The analysis further highlights the complex interplay between social risk factors and traditional risk factors – such as lifestyle and genetics – contributing to cardiovascular events. This underscores the need for “precision prevention,” a tailored approach that accounts for the unique combination of factors influencing an individual’s health.
