The heart is an amazing muscle that beats around 100,000 times a day.It is essentially a complex pump that is able to adjust blood pressure, flow, and volume in order to provide your body with all the blood it needs. Your heart is constantly adjusting to what you are doing and the state of your body. As you age, yourheart adjuststo the needs of an older body. These adjustments come with trade-offs, leaving the heart more vulnerable to disease and other problems.
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Your Heart’s Job
Every day your heart must beat more than 100,000 times through more than 60,000 miles (if stretched end-to-end) of blood vessels.Your heart also must adjust the rate and force at which it pumps based on your activity level. As we age, changes in the body require that the heart adjusts how it works. For example, the buildup of fat in the arteries, known asatherosclerosis, causes the heart to work harder to pump all that blood through narrower tubes.
The Aging Heart
Aging Arteries
Thickening of the Left Ventricle
Mitral Valve Function Can Deteriorate
Age-related changes in the mitral valve can cause mitral regurgitation — a condition in which the mitral valve fails to close completely, leading to regurgitation (leaking) of blood back into the left atrium as the left ventricle is contracting. Age-related mitral regurgitation is often fairly mild, but can become severe enough to require cardiac surgery.
Exercise Capacity Shrinks
As the heart ages, it becomes less able to respond rapidly to chemical messages from the brain. Researchers do not know exactly why the heart does not respond as fast to messages to speed up and adjust to increased activity.The result is the body cannot exercise as long or as intensely as before. This shows up asshortness of breath, a sign that oxygen-rich blood is not moving fast enough through the body because the lungs are trying to breathe in more oxygen.
“Sitting” Heart Rate Lowers
The Heart Can’t Squeeze as Tightly
Because of the increase in diastolic blood pressure, the heart also stretches larger each beat, giving a stronger pump in order to have a stronger contraction to pump the excess blood volume (called the Frank-Starling mechanism).But because of the greater diastolic pressure, the heart can’t squeeze as tightly.
Keep Your Heart Healthy and Reverse Heart Disease
23 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Shaffer F, McCraty R, Zerr CL.A healthy heart is not a metronome: an integrative review of the heart’s anatomy and heart rate variability.Front Psychol. 2014;0. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01040Harrison ME, Norris ML, Obeid N, Fu M, Weinstangel H, Sampson M.Systematic review of the effects of family meal frequency on psychosocial outcomes in youth.Can Fam Physician. 2015;61(2):e96-106. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2020.00018Genders AJ, Frison V, Abramson SR, Barrett EJ.Endothelial cells actively concentrate insulin during its transendothelial transport.Microcirculation. 2013;20(5):434-439. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.7502Head T, Daunert S, Goldschmidt-Clermont PJ. The aging risk and atherosclerosis: a fresh look at arterial homeostasis.Front Genet. 2017;0. doi:10.3389/fgene.2017.00216Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Heart Disease Facts.American Heart Association.Older Americans & Cardiovascular Diseases.Roman MA, Rossiter HB, Casaburi R.Exercise, ageing and the lung.Eur Respir J. 2016;48(5):1471-1486. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00347-2016American Heart Association.Target Heart Rates Chart.Dai X, Hummel SL, Salazar JB, Taffet GE, Zieman S, Schwartz JB.Cardiovascular physiology in the older adults.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2015;12(3):196-201. doi: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2015.03.015Sun Z.Aging, arterial stiffness, and hypertension.Hypertension. 2015;65(2):252-256. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.03617Tanaka H.Antiaging effects of aerobic exercise on systemic arteries.Hypertension. 2019;74(2):237-243. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.13179Fudim M, Hopley CW, Huang Z, et al.Association of hypertension and arterial blood pressure on limb and cardiovascular outcomes in symptomatic peripheral artery disease: the euclid trial.Circ: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2020;13(9):e006512. 10.1161/circoutcomes.120.006512Bergheanu SC, Bodde MC, Jukema JW.Pathophysiology and treatment of atherosclerosis.Neth Heart J. 2017;25(4):231-242. doi: 10.1007/s12471-017-0959-2Chen C, Sung KT, Shih SC, et al.Age, gender and load-related influences on left ventricular geometric remodeling, systolic mid-wall function, and nt-probnp in asymptomatic asian population.Talkachova A, ed.PLoS ONE. 2016;11(6):e0156467. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156467Kohn JC, Lampi MC, Reinhart-King CA.Age-related vascular stiffening: causes and consequences.Front Genet. 2015;0. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00112Madesis A, Tsakiridis K, Zarogoulidis P, et al.Review of mitral valve insufficiency: repair or replacement.Journal of Thoracic Disease. 2014;6(1). doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2013.10.20Gorelick PB, Furie KL, Iadecola C, et al.Defining optimal brain health in adults: a presidential advisory from the american heart association/american stroke association.Stroke. 2017;48(10):e284-e303. PMID: 28883125Zeiher J, Ombrellaro KJ, Perumal N, Keil T, Mensink GBM, Finger JD.Correlates and determinants of cardiorespiratory fitness in adults: a systematic review.Sports Medicine - Open. 2019;5(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s40798-019-0211-2Ogliari G, Mahinrad S, Stott DJ, et al.Resting heart rate, heart rate variability and functional decline in old age.CMAJ. 2015;187(15):E442-E449. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.150462Fajemiroye JO, Cunha LC da, Saavedra-Rodríguez R, et al.Aging-induced biological changes and cardiovascular diseases.BioMed Research International. 2018;2018:e7156435. doi: 10.1155/2018/7156435Chaui-Berlinck JG, Monteiro LHA.Frank-Starling mechanism and short-term adjustment of cardiac flow.Journal of Experimental Biology. Published online January 1, 2017:jeb.167106. doi: 10.1242/jeb.167106Levine GN, Lange RA, Bairey‐Merz CN, et al.Meditation and cardiovascular risk reduction: a scientific statement from the american heart association.JAHA. 2017;6(10):e002218. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.117.002218LaRocca TJ, Martens CR, Seals DR.Nutrition and other lifestyle influences on arterial aging.Ageing Res Rev. 2017;39:106-119. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.09.002Additional ReadingNational Institute on Aging: Aging Hearts and Arteries.
23 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Shaffer F, McCraty R, Zerr CL.A healthy heart is not a metronome: an integrative review of the heart’s anatomy and heart rate variability.Front Psychol. 2014;0. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01040Harrison ME, Norris ML, Obeid N, Fu M, Weinstangel H, Sampson M.Systematic review of the effects of family meal frequency on psychosocial outcomes in youth.Can Fam Physician. 2015;61(2):e96-106. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2020.00018Genders AJ, Frison V, Abramson SR, Barrett EJ.Endothelial cells actively concentrate insulin during its transendothelial transport.Microcirculation. 2013;20(5):434-439. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.7502Head T, Daunert S, Goldschmidt-Clermont PJ. The aging risk and atherosclerosis: a fresh look at arterial homeostasis.Front Genet. 2017;0. doi:10.3389/fgene.2017.00216Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Heart Disease Facts.American Heart Association.Older Americans & Cardiovascular Diseases.Roman MA, Rossiter HB, Casaburi R.Exercise, ageing and the lung.Eur Respir J. 2016;48(5):1471-1486. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00347-2016American Heart Association.Target Heart Rates Chart.Dai X, Hummel SL, Salazar JB, Taffet GE, Zieman S, Schwartz JB.Cardiovascular physiology in the older adults.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2015;12(3):196-201. doi: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2015.03.015Sun Z.Aging, arterial stiffness, and hypertension.Hypertension. 2015;65(2):252-256. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.03617Tanaka H.Antiaging effects of aerobic exercise on systemic arteries.Hypertension. 2019;74(2):237-243. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.13179Fudim M, Hopley CW, Huang Z, et al.Association of hypertension and arterial blood pressure on limb and cardiovascular outcomes in symptomatic peripheral artery disease: the euclid trial.Circ: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2020;13(9):e006512. 10.1161/circoutcomes.120.006512Bergheanu SC, Bodde MC, Jukema JW.Pathophysiology and treatment of atherosclerosis.Neth Heart J. 2017;25(4):231-242. doi: 10.1007/s12471-017-0959-2Chen C, Sung KT, Shih SC, et al.Age, gender and load-related influences on left ventricular geometric remodeling, systolic mid-wall function, and nt-probnp in asymptomatic asian population.Talkachova A, ed.PLoS ONE. 2016;11(6):e0156467. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156467Kohn JC, Lampi MC, Reinhart-King CA.Age-related vascular stiffening: causes and consequences.Front Genet. 2015;0. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00112Madesis A, Tsakiridis K, Zarogoulidis P, et al.Review of mitral valve insufficiency: repair or replacement.Journal of Thoracic Disease. 2014;6(1). doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2013.10.20Gorelick PB, Furie KL, Iadecola C, et al.Defining optimal brain health in adults: a presidential advisory from the american heart association/american stroke association.Stroke. 2017;48(10):e284-e303. PMID: 28883125Zeiher J, Ombrellaro KJ, Perumal N, Keil T, Mensink GBM, Finger JD.Correlates and determinants of cardiorespiratory fitness in adults: a systematic review.Sports Medicine - Open. 2019;5(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s40798-019-0211-2Ogliari G, Mahinrad S, Stott DJ, et al.Resting heart rate, heart rate variability and functional decline in old age.CMAJ. 2015;187(15):E442-E449. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.150462Fajemiroye JO, Cunha LC da, Saavedra-Rodríguez R, et al.Aging-induced biological changes and cardiovascular diseases.BioMed Research International. 2018;2018:e7156435. doi: 10.1155/2018/7156435Chaui-Berlinck JG, Monteiro LHA.Frank-Starling mechanism and short-term adjustment of cardiac flow.Journal of Experimental Biology. Published online January 1, 2017:jeb.167106. doi: 10.1242/jeb.167106Levine GN, Lange RA, Bairey‐Merz CN, et al.Meditation and cardiovascular risk reduction: a scientific statement from the american heart association.JAHA. 2017;6(10):e002218. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.117.002218LaRocca TJ, Martens CR, Seals DR.Nutrition and other lifestyle influences on arterial aging.Ageing Res Rev. 2017;39:106-119. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.09.002Additional ReadingNational Institute on Aging: Aging Hearts and Arteries.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Shaffer F, McCraty R, Zerr CL.A healthy heart is not a metronome: an integrative review of the heart’s anatomy and heart rate variability.Front Psychol. 2014;0. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01040Harrison ME, Norris ML, Obeid N, Fu M, Weinstangel H, Sampson M.Systematic review of the effects of family meal frequency on psychosocial outcomes in youth.Can Fam Physician. 2015;61(2):e96-106. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2020.00018Genders AJ, Frison V, Abramson SR, Barrett EJ.Endothelial cells actively concentrate insulin during its transendothelial transport.Microcirculation. 2013;20(5):434-439. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.7502Head T, Daunert S, Goldschmidt-Clermont PJ. The aging risk and atherosclerosis: a fresh look at arterial homeostasis.Front Genet. 2017;0. doi:10.3389/fgene.2017.00216Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Heart Disease Facts.American Heart Association.Older Americans & Cardiovascular Diseases.Roman MA, Rossiter HB, Casaburi R.Exercise, ageing and the lung.Eur Respir J. 2016;48(5):1471-1486. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00347-2016American Heart Association.Target Heart Rates Chart.Dai X, Hummel SL, Salazar JB, Taffet GE, Zieman S, Schwartz JB.Cardiovascular physiology in the older adults.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2015;12(3):196-201. doi: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2015.03.015Sun Z.Aging, arterial stiffness, and hypertension.Hypertension. 2015;65(2):252-256. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.03617Tanaka H.Antiaging effects of aerobic exercise on systemic arteries.Hypertension. 2019;74(2):237-243. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.13179Fudim M, Hopley CW, Huang Z, et al.Association of hypertension and arterial blood pressure on limb and cardiovascular outcomes in symptomatic peripheral artery disease: the euclid trial.Circ: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2020;13(9):e006512. 10.1161/circoutcomes.120.006512Bergheanu SC, Bodde MC, Jukema JW.Pathophysiology and treatment of atherosclerosis.Neth Heart J. 2017;25(4):231-242. doi: 10.1007/s12471-017-0959-2Chen C, Sung KT, Shih SC, et al.Age, gender and load-related influences on left ventricular geometric remodeling, systolic mid-wall function, and nt-probnp in asymptomatic asian population.Talkachova A, ed.PLoS ONE. 2016;11(6):e0156467. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156467Kohn JC, Lampi MC, Reinhart-King CA.Age-related vascular stiffening: causes and consequences.Front Genet. 2015;0. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00112Madesis A, Tsakiridis K, Zarogoulidis P, et al.Review of mitral valve insufficiency: repair or replacement.Journal of Thoracic Disease. 2014;6(1). doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2013.10.20Gorelick PB, Furie KL, Iadecola C, et al.Defining optimal brain health in adults: a presidential advisory from the american heart association/american stroke association.Stroke. 2017;48(10):e284-e303. PMID: 28883125Zeiher J, Ombrellaro KJ, Perumal N, Keil T, Mensink GBM, Finger JD.Correlates and determinants of cardiorespiratory fitness in adults: a systematic review.Sports Medicine - Open. 2019;5(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s40798-019-0211-2Ogliari G, Mahinrad S, Stott DJ, et al.Resting heart rate, heart rate variability and functional decline in old age.CMAJ. 2015;187(15):E442-E449. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.150462Fajemiroye JO, Cunha LC da, Saavedra-Rodríguez R, et al.Aging-induced biological changes and cardiovascular diseases.BioMed Research International. 2018;2018:e7156435. doi: 10.1155/2018/7156435Chaui-Berlinck JG, Monteiro LHA.Frank-Starling mechanism and short-term adjustment of cardiac flow.Journal of Experimental Biology. Published online January 1, 2017:jeb.167106. doi: 10.1242/jeb.167106Levine GN, Lange RA, Bairey‐Merz CN, et al.Meditation and cardiovascular risk reduction: a scientific statement from the american heart association.JAHA. 2017;6(10):e002218. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.117.002218LaRocca TJ, Martens CR, Seals DR.Nutrition and other lifestyle influences on arterial aging.Ageing Res Rev. 2017;39:106-119. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.09.002
Shaffer F, McCraty R, Zerr CL.A healthy heart is not a metronome: an integrative review of the heart’s anatomy and heart rate variability.Front Psychol. 2014;0. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01040
Harrison ME, Norris ML, Obeid N, Fu M, Weinstangel H, Sampson M.Systematic review of the effects of family meal frequency on psychosocial outcomes in youth.Can Fam Physician. 2015;61(2):e96-106. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2020.00018
Genders AJ, Frison V, Abramson SR, Barrett EJ.Endothelial cells actively concentrate insulin during its transendothelial transport.Microcirculation. 2013;20(5):434-439. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.7502
Head T, Daunert S, Goldschmidt-Clermont PJ. The aging risk and atherosclerosis: a fresh look at arterial homeostasis.Front Genet. 2017;0. doi:10.3389/fgene.2017.00216
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Heart Disease Facts.
American Heart Association.Older Americans & Cardiovascular Diseases.
Roman MA, Rossiter HB, Casaburi R.Exercise, ageing and the lung.Eur Respir J. 2016;48(5):1471-1486. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00347-2016
American Heart Association.Target Heart Rates Chart.
Dai X, Hummel SL, Salazar JB, Taffet GE, Zieman S, Schwartz JB.Cardiovascular physiology in the older adults.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2015;12(3):196-201. doi: 10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2015.03.015
Sun Z.Aging, arterial stiffness, and hypertension.Hypertension. 2015;65(2):252-256. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.03617
Tanaka H.Antiaging effects of aerobic exercise on systemic arteries.Hypertension. 2019;74(2):237-243. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.13179
Fudim M, Hopley CW, Huang Z, et al.Association of hypertension and arterial blood pressure on limb and cardiovascular outcomes in symptomatic peripheral artery disease: the euclid trial.Circ: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2020;13(9):e006512. 10.1161/circoutcomes.120.006512
Bergheanu SC, Bodde MC, Jukema JW.Pathophysiology and treatment of atherosclerosis.Neth Heart J. 2017;25(4):231-242. doi: 10.1007/s12471-017-0959-2
Chen C, Sung KT, Shih SC, et al.Age, gender and load-related influences on left ventricular geometric remodeling, systolic mid-wall function, and nt-probnp in asymptomatic asian population.Talkachova A, ed.PLoS ONE. 2016;11(6):e0156467. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156467
Kohn JC, Lampi MC, Reinhart-King CA.Age-related vascular stiffening: causes and consequences.Front Genet. 2015;0. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2015.00112
Madesis A, Tsakiridis K, Zarogoulidis P, et al.Review of mitral valve insufficiency: repair or replacement.Journal of Thoracic Disease. 2014;6(1). doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2013.10.20
Gorelick PB, Furie KL, Iadecola C, et al.Defining optimal brain health in adults: a presidential advisory from the american heart association/american stroke association.Stroke. 2017;48(10):e284-e303. PMID: 28883125
Zeiher J, Ombrellaro KJ, Perumal N, Keil T, Mensink GBM, Finger JD.Correlates and determinants of cardiorespiratory fitness in adults: a systematic review.Sports Medicine - Open. 2019;5(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s40798-019-0211-2
Ogliari G, Mahinrad S, Stott DJ, et al.Resting heart rate, heart rate variability and functional decline in old age.CMAJ. 2015;187(15):E442-E449. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.150462
Fajemiroye JO, Cunha LC da, Saavedra-Rodríguez R, et al.Aging-induced biological changes and cardiovascular diseases.BioMed Research International. 2018;2018:e7156435. doi: 10.1155/2018/7156435
Chaui-Berlinck JG, Monteiro LHA.Frank-Starling mechanism and short-term adjustment of cardiac flow.Journal of Experimental Biology. Published online January 1, 2017:jeb.167106. doi: 10.1242/jeb.167106
Levine GN, Lange RA, Bairey‐Merz CN, et al.Meditation and cardiovascular risk reduction: a scientific statement from the american heart association.JAHA. 2017;6(10):e002218. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.117.002218
LaRocca TJ, Martens CR, Seals DR.Nutrition and other lifestyle influences on arterial aging.Ageing Res Rev. 2017;39:106-119. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.09.002
National Institute on Aging: Aging Hearts and Arteries.
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