Groundbreaking research has revealed how MRI scans can determine the functional age of a person’s heart, showing dramatic acceleration in those with unhealthy lifestyles.
The revolutionary technique could transform heart disease diagnosis by identifying problems before symptoms appear, potentially saving millions of lives.
Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) developed the new approach, which measures how well the heart functions rather than simply counting chronological years.
Lead researcher Dr Pankaj Garg, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and a consultant cardiologist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said: “Imagine finding out that your heart is ‘older’ than you are. For people with conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity, this is often the case.
“Our new MRI approach doesn’t just count your birthdays – it measures how well your heart is holding up.”
The research team collaborated with hospitals across the UK, Spain, and Singapore, studying MRI scans from 557 people – including 191 healthy individuals and 366 with conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity.
Using advanced imaging techniques, they measured factors like heart chamber size and strength before developing a formula to calculate the heart’s ‘functional age’, which was validated against healthy hearts.
Dr Garg said: “We found that an MRI scan can reveal your heart’s ‘functional age’ – how old it acts, not how old you are.
“In healthy people, we found that heart age was similar to chronological age. But for patients with things like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and atrial fibrillation – their functional heart age was significantly higher.
“For example, a 50-year-old with high blood pressure might have a heart that works like it’s 55.
“People with health issues like diabetes or obesity often have hearts that are aging faster than they should – sometimes by decades. So, this could help doctors step in early to stop heart disease in its tracks.
“This is a game-changer for keeping hearts healthier, longer.
“Heart disease is one of the world’s biggest killers. Our new MRI method gives doctors a powerful tool to look inside the heart like never before and spot trouble early – before symptoms even start.
“By knowing your heart’s true age, patients could get advice or treatments to slow down the aging process, potentially preventing heart attacks or strokes.
“It could also be the wake-up call people need to take better care of themselves – whether that’s eating healthier, exercising more, or following their doctor’s advice. It’s about giving people a fighting chance against heart disease,” he added.
PhD Student Hosam Assadi, also from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “It’s thrilling to see how this MRI technique could change lives. We’ve found a way to spot hearts that are aging too fast, and that could mean catching problems early enough to fix them. I hope this could become a standard check-up for hearts in the future.”
The research was published in the Open European Heart Journal and was led by UEA in collaboration with multiple institutions including the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the National Heart Research Institute Singapore, the University of Sheffield, and the Hospital San Juan de Dios in Spain.
The project was funded by Wellcome and forms part of a wider effort to improve early detection of heart disease, which remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide.