Biological Aging Pace Helps Explain Sex Differences in CVD Risk

In a population-based analysis of 371,032 UK Biobank participants, faster biological aging in males explained a substantial proportion of their higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk compared with females, accounting for about 60–68% of the excess risk across major CVD outcomes. Although males and females had similar chronological ages, males consistently showed higher risks of any CVD, atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke, while females experienced CVD onset 0.7 to 2.9 years later. Males also exhibited a faster biological aging pace of 1.02 years, measured by phenotypic age acceleration and telomere length, with unhealthy lifestyles contributing the largest share, followed by chronic diseases and metabolic factors. Differences in biological aging pace explained most of the male-associated excess risk across CVD subtypes, and results were consistent when alternative aging measures were used or when accounting for sex hormones, underscoring biological aging pace as a key contributor to sex disparities in CVD and a potential target for sex-specific primary prevention. Source: https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/