A HYPERBOLIC health headline has gone viral with an enticing claim - that only two years of regular exercise may help make your heart 20 years younger.
It sounds almost too good to be true, that a regular workout plan can reverse decades of ageing and possibly unhealthy habits.
Can just two years of breaking a sweat really turn back the clock on your heart by 20 years?
VERDICT:
FALSE
The viral claim is based on a 2018 study published in Circulation, in which researchers conducted a two-year randomised controlled experiment with 61 healthy but previously physically inactive middle-aged adults with an average age of 53.
Participants were divided into two groups. One group followed a proper fitness plan, while the other focused on lighter activities like stretching and balance exercises.
The workout group trained four to five times per week, switching between steady routines, tougher sessions, and longer endurance activities.
Although it was not extreme, it was consistent. After two years, the difference was apparent.
People who exercised consistently were able to move more, tired less easily, and had more efficient hearts than previously.
This indicates that their general fitness and heart health had improved significantly. Their hearts grew less rigid and more effective at filling with blood, especially in the left ventricle.
These changes were significant as increasing stiffness is connected with a greater chance of heart failure as individuals age.
But doctors warn that this does not imply that the heart has truly become "20 years younger."
However, the study found that certain aspects of cardiac function increased to levels more typical of younger, physically active individuals.
In other words, the volunteers did not reverse 20 years of ageing, instead they regained some functional capacity that had been lost due to prolonged inactivity.
It's also worth emphasising that the advantages were shown in middle-aged persons who committed to regular, gradual exercise over time.
The researchers advised that people who start exercising later in life might not experience an identical level of improvement since the heart becomes less adaptive with age.
The data clearly shows that frequent, consistent physical activity strengthens the heart and improves its efficiency.
A youthful heart isn’t about turning back time, it’s about training it to beat stronger for the years ahead.
SOURCES:
2: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6332782/
3: www.unilad.com/news/health/how-much-exercise-reduce-heart-age-992077-20250102
4: guelphnaturalhealth.ca/how-to-reverse-heart-aging-by-20-years-even-if-you-are-inactive/
