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Published on: August 29, 2013
Interventions to promote cardiometabolic health and slow cardiovascular ageing
1Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA. lfontana@wustl.edu.
Insights
Calorie restriction and other lifestyle interventions can prevent cardiovascular disease. These strategies slow aging and cardiometabolic dysfunction by reducing molecular damage.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Aging Research
- Metabolic Health
Background:
- Cardiovascular aging and atherosclerosis start in utero, progressing over decades.
- Risk factors lead to preventable cardiovascular diseases like heart disease, stroke, and dementia.
- Cardiometabolic dysfunction results from accumulated molecular damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review interventions for preventing cardiovascular disease and slowing cardiometabolic dysfunction.
- To explore dietary and non-dietary strategies for promoting cardiometabolic health.
- To discuss mechanisms underlying the benefits of these interventions.
Main Methods:
- Review of preclinical and clinical studies.
- Analysis of findings on calorie restriction (CR), intermittent fasting, and feeding rhythms.
- Examination of non-dietary interventions like physical activity and stress reduction.
Main Results:
- Calorie restriction (CR), intermittent fasting, and adjusted feeding rhythms are effective in preventing cardiovascular disease.
- These dietary interventions slow molecular damage accumulation, preventing cardiometabolic dysfunction.
- Physical activity, stress reduction, and CR-mimetic drugs enhance the benefits of a healthy diet.
Conclusions:
- Dietary interventions like CR and fasting are powerful tools for cardiovascular disease prevention.
- Lifestyle modifications can significantly slow the aging process and improve cardiometabolic health.
- A combination of dietary and non-dietary strategies offers a comprehensive approach to promoting long-term cardiovascular wellness.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular ageing and the atherosclerotic process begin very early in life, most likely in utero. They progress over decades of exposure to suboptimal or abnormal metabolic and hormonal risk factors, eventually culminating in very common, costly, and mostly preventable target-organ pathologies, including coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease, and vascular dementia. In this Review, we discuss findings from preclinical and clinical studies showing that calorie restriction (CR), intermittent fasting, and adjusted diurnal rhythm of feeding, with adequate intake of specific macronutrients and micronutrients, are powerful interventions not only for the prevention of cardiovascular disease but also for slowing the accumulation of molecular damage leading to cardiometabolic dysfunction. Furthermore, we discuss the mechanisms through which a number of other nondietary interventions, such as regular physical activity, mindfulness-based stress-reduction exercises, and some CR-mimetic drugs that target pro-ageing pathways, can potentiate the beneficial effects of a healthy diet in promoting cardiometabolic health.
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