Children whose parents enjoyed a long life, living well into their 80s, seem to have healthier hearts in middle age compared with children whose parents did not live this long. Moreover, the heart advantage persists over time, which should help them follow in their parents' footsteps.
US researchers found that the presence, and progression over 12 years, of several heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, was lower among middle-aged offspring with "long-lived" parents compared with people whose parents did not live into very old age.
Among a subset of 1,319 offspring followed long-term, those with long-lived parents maintained their "advantageous cardiovascular risk profiles."
"There are well established genetic contributions to each of the risk factors that we have examined that may partially explain the reduced risk factors for those with long-lived parents," the authors note.
"A greater understanding of the genetics of cardiovascular risk factors and longevity may lead to advances in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the future," Dr Terry commented.