Heartfulness: Contributors of Healthy and Unhealthy Cardiac Aging

Dear Colleagues,

Healthy cardiac aging involves maintaining optimal heart function throughout one’s lifespan, while unhealthy cardiac aging refers to the decline in heart health and the increased risk of cardiovascular disease as a person ages. Both healthy and unhealthy cardiac aging are influenced by a wide range of factors, including genetics, environmental factors, and lifestyle habits, such as regular exercise, healthy diet, stress management, adequate sleep, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, among others.

Although extensive research has been conducted on cardiac aging, there are still many unknowns about this process. Some areas that require further investigation include:

• Mechanisms of cardiac aging: While aging is known to cause changes in the heart, the exact mechanisms and the molecular and cellular processes behind these changes are still not fully understood.
• Factors that influence cardiac aging: While there are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as smoking and high blood pressure, it is not fully understood how these factors contribute to cardiac aging. Additionally, there may be other genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that influence the aging process in the heart, which are not yet fully understood.
• Gender differences: There are known differences between men and women when it comes to the risk of cardiovascular disease and the aging process of the heart. However, the mechanisms behind these differences are still not fully understood.
• Long-term effects: The long-term effects of cardiac aging on overall health and quality of life are not fully understood. Additionally, there may be differences in the long-term effects of cardiac aging between different populations and individuals.
• Potential interventions: While healthy lifestyle habits can promote healthy cardiac aging, there are currently no known interventions or treatments that can halt or reverse the aging process in the heart. Researchers are still exploring potential therapies and interventions that could help prevent or slow the progression of cardiac aging.

A better understanding of the regulatory networks in cardiac development and aging are a prerequisite for the development of therapies to treat a range of heart diseases from congenital abnormalities to adult cardiomyopathies.

We count on your cutting-edge research and contribution to uncover critical components of both cardiac developmental pathways and aging mechanisms to inspire novel therapeutic strategies to treat human heart failure. We welcome original research and review manuscripts on any aspects of healthy and unhealthy cardiac aging.

Dr. Susana P. Pereira
Prof. Dr. Laura A. Cox
Guest Editors

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