Hearts Don't Age The Same, Based On Gender

New findings published in the journal Radiology show that male and female hearts don't age the same way.

Study results revealed that while the amount of blood that the left ventricle can hold between heartbeats declined in both sexes, it declined more in women than men. The main chamber of the heart, or the left ventricle, becomes smaller with time due to less blood entering the heart and less getting pumped to the rest of the body. However, the findings suggest that gender-specific treatments may be better for heart problems. 

The study involved an analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the hearts of over 3,000 adults between the ages of 54 to 94 at six hospitals across the United States, where each one of them underwent MRI testing at the beginning of the study and once more after a decade.

The MRI scans gave researchers 3-D images of both the heart's interior and exterior--allowing them to determine the size and volume of the heart muscle. Then, the researchers calculated the weight of the muscle based on previous data regarding the heart's density. 

Findings revealed that the heart's filling capacity declined in both sexes but more in women at 13 millilitres when compared to male counterparts at 10 millilitres. 

The study is part of an ongoing, long-term project called the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), which is following nearly 7,000 men and women of different ethnic backgrounds across the country.

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