Men with lower cardiovascular risk in their 40s were more likely to live to age 90.
Those with healthier measurements earlier in life were less likely to become frail later on.
The study also linked a healthier middle age with greater happiness and psychological well-being in old age.
Living longer is one thing. Being able to enjoy those extra years is another.
New research from the University of Helsinki suggests that maintaining better cardiovascular health in middle age may be connected not only with a longer life, but also with better quality of life in old age.
The findings come from a study that followed nearly 2,700 Finnish men for more than 50 years. The researchers were interested in whether cardiovascular health earlier in adulthood was related to how people lived and felt decades later.
The study began in the 1960s and 1970s, when the men were an average of 42 years old and generally healthy. Researchers continued following them throughout adulthood and, ultimately, through the end of their lives.
“We’ve long been interested in this question, while in many places the topic is only now attracting attention,” Professor Emeritus and lead researcher Timo Strandberg from the University of Helsinki said in a news release. “This study’s strength was in a follow-up that extended to the end of life.”
How the study worked
The researchers focused on five factors that can affect cardiovascular health: smoking, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose.
The men's measurements were assessed when they were younger, with better values indicating a lower cardiovascular risk. Researchers then looked at what happened to the men over the following decades.
In 2007, the surviving participants were an average of 79 years old. At that point, researchers assessed several aspects of their health and well-being, including their ability to function in everyday life, happiness, quality of life, and frailty.
Frailty refers to a state in which the body's ability to function and handle physical stress becomes reduced.
Because the researchers followed the men for more than five decades, the study was able to connect health measurements from middle age with outcomes much later in life.
What the findings could mean
The differences between the groups were notable. Among men who had positive values for all five cardiovascular risk factors when they were younger, 42% reached age 90. Among those with poor values for all five factors, just 7% reached that age.
The healthier group also appeared to maintain better physical function. Only 2% of men with positive values across all five factors were considered frail in old age, compared with one-quarter of those who had poor values for all five.
The researchers also found that men with healthier measurements earlier in life reported more happiness and psychological well-being later on.
For consumers, the findings highlight five familiar areas of health: smoking, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose.
“The body mass index, smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose can all be measured and addressed. If not through lifestyle choices, then with safe and mostly inexpensive drugs,” Strandberg says.
“The common adage is that you either live a short and pleasant life, or a long and unpleasant one. This study indicates that healthy lifestyles can add both years and functional capacity to your life.”