Money stress ages the heart faster than disease, study finds

The analysis examined data from more than 280,000 adult patients treated at the Mayo Clinic between 2018 and 2023. Using an AI-enabled electrocardiogram, researchers estimated cardiac age and identified a “cardiac age gap,” a marker indicating when the heart is biologically older than a person’s chronological age.

The study found that social determinants of health outweighed conventional clinical risks in shaping cardiac aging and mortality. Among nine social factors assessed, financial strain and food insecurity had the strongest impact across both men and women. Housing instability and physical inactivity were also linked to higher mortality, in some cases rivaling established cardiovascular risk factors.

“Traditional risk factors do not fully explain cardiovascular disease,” said lead investigator Amir Lerman, MD, of the Mayo Clinic. “There are social factors we often do not ask about that may significantly influence biological aging.”

Researchers note that routine ECGs combined with AI tools could help physicians detect hidden social risks earlier and tailor preventive, patient-centered care. They caution, however, that the results may not apply equally to all populations, as the study sample was largely non-Hispanic White.

The findings underscore that economic stress and access to basic needs are not just social issues, but critical drivers of heart health and longevity.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Abu Dhabi achieved a global milestone by becoming the first in the world to administer ITVISMA (onasemnogene abeparvovec), a breakthrough gene replacement therapy for spinal muscular atrophy.