How Genetics May Influence Vascular Aging
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How Genetics May Influence Vascular Aging
Date of Content: May 10, 2024
Written by: Harvey Talento
Reviewed by: Maarit Tiirikainen, PhD
What is Vascular Aging?
Vascular aging is a natural process that occurs as people age, leading to changes in the arterial structure. These changes include:
- Stiffness of the arteries causes elevated systolic blood pressure and increased pulse rate.
- Narrowing of the vessels due to plaque formation caused by calcium mineralization, cholesterol or fat buildup, fibrin, and cellular waste products.
- Dysfunction of the endothelium (the inner lining of the arteries) and alterations in vascular smooth muscle cells.
This process may begin at an early stage of life and its effects are often experienced at the age of 30. Gradual progression occurs throughout the process and normally affects vascular function, especially in large and small arteries. Vascular aging is a common risk factor for the elderly for cardiovascular diseases and can be measured by assessing arterial stiffness, often using pulse wave velocity.
Causes of Vascular Aging
The main contributors to vascular aging include:
- Oxidative stress and inflammation
- Cells in the blood vessels stop dividing and cease to function effectively
- Mitochondrial dysfunction
- Telomere attrition, where the protective caps on the ends of DNA strands (telomeres) become shorter over time
- Epigenetic alterations in which there are changes in gene activity without changes to the DNA sequence itself
- Deregulated nutrient sensing, where the body’s ability to detect and respond to nutrients becomes less effective
- Mechanical stress
- Unhealthy lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet
- Chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia
Oxidative stress and proinflammatory signaling are known factors that promote arterial stiffness, leading to increased vascular resistance and organ dysfunction. Cellular senescence and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) also play pivotal roles in vascular aging.
While some factors like age are non-modifiable, most causes of vascular aging are related to lifestyle and can be mitigated through healthy behaviors. Understanding the mechanisms and risk factors is crucial for developing strategies to prevent and treat vascular aging and associated cardiovascular diseases.
Effects of Vascular Aging on Wellness
The effects of vascular aging on wellness have significant implications for cardiovascular health and overall well-being. Key factors include:
- Increased risk of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and stroke
- Reduced blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues and organs due to impaired vascular function
- Accelerated cellular aging and increased inflammation in the vascular system
- A potential decline in exercise capacity and cardiovascular performance because of changes in heart function and blood vessel responsiveness
Understanding the effects of vascular aging on overall wellness is essential for developing strategies to reduce its impact and promote healthy aging. Lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and stress management, can significantly help maintain vascular health and overall well-being as the body ages.
Genetic Factors Influencing Vascular Aging
Genetics plays a significant role in vascular aging, as evidenced by a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) in little over 1,000 Koreans ages 50 and above. The study identified 60 suggestive genes associated with vascular aging, many of which are involved in key pathways related to cardiovascular health:
- Angiogenesis and proliferation/differentiation of blood vessels (ADAM12, AXIN2, PDLIM5, WNT4, etc.)
- Inflammatory responses in the blood vessel system (CASP12, PFKP, HDAC4, TAB2, etc.)
- Cardiovascular diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and stroke (PDLIM5, HDAC4, AXIN2, TLE1, etc.)
The study found that individuals with a higher cumulative number of protective alleles from certain SNPs in these 60 genes had attenuated vascular aging, as measured by reactive hyperemia index (RHI). This suggests that genetics can influence the rate of vascular aging.
Further analysis showed differential expression of some candidate genes like the TLE1 in aged endothelial cells, providing a potential mechanism for how genetic variants may impact vascular aging at the cellular level.
In summary, this GWAS highlights the polygenic nature of vascular aging, implicating genetic variants in pathways regulating angiogenesis, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease risk. Genetic predisposition appears to be an important factor in determining an individual’s rate of vascular aging. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex genetic architecture underlying this process.
Non-Genetic Factors Influencing Vascular Aging
Vascular aging is influenced by various factors beyond genetics, which can be broadly categorized into lifestyle habits, and environmental factors:
Lifestyle Habits
Diet: Consuming a poor diet, especially one high in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats, can accelerate vascular aging by promoting inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction.
Physical inactivity: Leading a sedentary lifestyle can speed up vascular aging by reducing blood flow, increasing inflammation, and disrupting the balance of factors that control blood vessel dilation and constriction.
Smoking: Tobacco smoke contains many toxins that can damage the blood vessel lining, promote inflammation, and hasten vascular aging.
Environmental Factors
Air pollution: Exposure to air pollutants, such as particulate matter, can cause oxidative stress, inflammation, and damage to the blood vessel lining, contributing to vascular aging.
Stress: Chronic stress can trigger the body’s “fight or flight” response, increasing blood pressure, heart rate, and vascular resistance, all of which can accelerate the progression of vascular aging.
How to Prevent Vascular Aging
There are several strategies to prevent or delay vascular aging:
Lifestyle Modifications
- Exercise: Regular aerobic exercise is one of the most effective ways to prevent vascular aging. Consistent moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can improve endothelial function, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, and increase nitric oxide availability.
- Diet: A healthy diet low in processed foods, unhealthy carbohydrates, and saturated fats can help prevent vascular aging by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. Foods like olive oil and its extracts have been shown to have anti-vascular aging effects.
- Weight Management: Calorie restriction and weight loss through diet and exercise can positively influence cellular and molecular pathways involved in vascular aging.
Pharmacological Interventions
Certain drugs and supplements may help prevent vascular aging:
- Dietary supplements, including resveratrol, COQ10, and folate, have shown promise in reducing biomarkers of aging and maintaining arterial function.Â
- Senolytics and senomorphics target specific signaling pathways (like PI3K/Akt, SASP, eNOS, ATM/ATR, and oxidative stress) and may have anti-vascular aging effects.
The best evidence-based strategies to prevent vascular aging include regular aerobic exercise, a nutritious and healthy diet, and maintaining a healthy weight. Pharmacological interventions and novel lifestyle approaches may provide alternatives for those unable to adhere to conventional healthy behaviors.
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Summary
- Vascular aging is a natural process that occurs as people age, leading to changes in the arteries such as increased stiffness, endothelial dysfunction, thickening of artery walls, and elevated blood pressure. This process affects the entire vascular system and is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Measurement techniques like pulse wave velocity help assess vascular aging.
- The known causes of vascular aging include oxidative stress, inflammation, cellular senescence, telomere attrition, and unhealthy lifestyle factors such as smoking and poor diet. Mechanical stress and chronic diseases like diabetes also contribute to arterial stiffness and dysfunction. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for prevention and treatment strategies.
- Vascular aging significantly impacts cardiovascular health, leading to increased risk of diseases like hypertension and stroke, reduced blood flow, cellular aging, and decline in exercise capacity. Lifestyle changes including exercise and a balanced diet can mitigate these effects and promote healthy aging.
- Genetics plays a significant role in vascular aging, as evidenced by genome-wide association studies identifying genes involved in angiogenesis, inflammation, and cardiovascular diseases. Individuals with protective genetic variants may exhibit attenuated vascular aging, highlighting the importance of genetic predisposition.
- Beyond genetics, lifestyle habits like diet, physical inactivity, and smoking, as well as environmental factors such as air pollution and chronic stress, contribute to vascular aging. Addressing these factors through lifestyle modifications and environmental changes is key to prevention.
- Preventing vascular aging involves lifestyle modifications including regular exercise, a healthy diet, weight management, and avoidance of smoking. Pharmacological interventions and supplements like resveratrol, COQ10, and folate may also help preserve arterial function. These evidence-based strategies offer avenues for maintaining vascular health and promoting healthy aging.
References
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2023.1278795/full
- https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/17/5512
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10665864/
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/agm2.12151
- https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/14/11538
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10665864/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.1058308/full
- https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article/30/11/1101/7026201
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.117.10439
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