Women's hearts age differently to those of men and do not lose their pumping power as they get older, exercise scientists at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) reveal today.
They suggest their findings may offer an answer to the age-old question of why women live longer on average than men. Women over 60 are now the fastest growing cohort in today's ageing society.
Professor David Goldspink, LJMU's professor of cell and molecular sports science, explains: "We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25% between 18 and 70 years of age. In stark contrast, over the same period there was no age-related decline in the power of the female heart, meaning that the heart of a healthy 70 year-old women could perform almost as well as a 20 year-old's. This dramatic gender difference might just explain why women live longer than men."
The results are based on the findings of the largest study ever undertaken into the effects of ageing on our cardiovascular system. Since the study began two years ago, Prof Goldspink and a team of scientists at the university's research unit for human development and ageing have examined more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80 years.
By choosing only healthy individuals, the scientists have been able to look at the ageing process without the added complications of diseases, which tend to increase as we get older.
Prof Goldspink said: "By simultaneously studying both men and women we have been able to look for either similarities or differences between the two sexes as we get older. We now have a much clearer holistic picture of changes that take place in the human body throughout our life cycle."
The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart simply by taking more regular exercise. In a related study, Prof Goldspink found that the hearts of veteran male athletes (50-70 year-olds) were as powerful as those of inactive 20 year-old male undergraduates.
He explained: "The 20-25% loss of power in the ageing male heart can be prevented or slowed down by engaging in regular aerobic exercise. So, if men work at it, they can preserve the power and performance of their ageing hearts."
But women can't sit back and take it easy; they need to take regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they get older.
Prof Goldspink is now calling for a major public campaign to inform people about how much and what kind of exercise they should undertake to age more healthily.
He concluded: "If the government white paper, 'Choosing Health' is to be effective, the public need to receive better information and advice that is based on strong scientific evidence. Once we can tell them precisely what health benefits they can gain in response to different levels of physical activity, they can then make a realistic and informed choice for themselves."
