Early Vascular Ageing: Why are young people's arteries hardening prematurely? Is this a silent signal of a heart attack?
Vascular Health Improvement: Due to changing lifestyles, diseases that used to affect us after 40 or 50 years of age are now affecting young people between 20 and 30 years of age. Let us tell you about one such disease.
What is biological age?
Why Are Young People Getting Heart Attacks? Indian cardiologists are seeing a worrying trend: the arteries of younger people are aging prematurely. Birth certificates may show a 35-year-old age, but on examination, the arteries appear to be those of a 50-55-year-old. Doctors call this difference "early vascular aging," meaning premature aging of the arteries. Let us explain why this is happening.
Chronological vs. Biological Age
Dr. Vivek Kumar told TOI that age is now viewed from two perspectives. One is chronological age, meaning how many years you've lived, and the other is biological age, meaning how healthy your body parts are. Sometimes a 35-year-old can look like a 50-year-old on the inside, especially when it comes to the heart and arteries. Healthy arteries are flexible. They expand and contract with each heartbeat, maintaining smooth blood flow. But when they harden and thicken, damage begins to accumulate at a microscopic level. This process can begin without symptoms.
Why are young arteries getting old?
According to Dr. Mukesh Goyal, modern lifestyles are a major cause. Sitting for long periods, high-stress jobs, processed foods, lack of sleep, smoking, uncontrolled blood pressure, and sugar all rapidly damage arteries. The Indian Council of Medical Research's ICMR-INDIAB study has documented the increasing incidence of diabetes and prediabetes at younger ages. The World Health Organization also acknowledges that heart disease remains the leading cause of death globally, and this risk is no longer limited to the elderly.
How can this be stopped?
The biggest problem is that people consider themselves healthy because they don't experience any symptoms. However, hardening and plaque in the arteries build up silently for years. Sometimes the first sign comes directly in the form of a heart attack or stroke. The good news is that biological age can be changed. Regular aerobic exercise, a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts, healthy sleep, and proper management of depression can improve artery flexibility. Quitting smoking can also show improvement within a few months. The real question isn't how old you are, but how healthy your arteries are. If this mindset changes, many heart-related problems can be avoided.