Detect heart risk early with AI

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide . Therefore, it is crucial to identify risk factors early and accurately measure your heart health. The electrocardiogram (ECG) plays a key role in this. However, recent research shows that the ECG can reveal far more than just acute heart problems.

Nina Ruge studied biology. She began her more than 30-year television career in 1987 at RIAS TV in Berlin. She has also appeared on ZDF's "heute journal," "heute Nacht," and "Leute heute," as well as on talk shows and magazines on ARD, Phoenix, and 3sat. Today, she is a specialist author in the field of "Cell Biology of Aging." Since 2020, she has authored four popular science books on this topic, all five of which have become bestsellers. She also writes columns, produces podcasts such as "The Short Podcast for a Long Life - Zwäg hoch zwei," gives lectures, and develops her own channels on the gigantic research field of "Healthy Longevity."

Combined with artificial intelligence (AI), the ECG provides clues about epigenetic age—the wear and tear of our heart. A research team at the German Center for Cardiovascular Research has shown that AI can detect subtle changes in ECG data. This allows them to determine with astonishing precision how much the heart has already aged.

This information can be used to determine the risk of future cardiovascular disease. The so-called ECG age could thus become a valuable marker for early assessment of individual cardiovascular disease risk and targeted personalized prevention.

This analysis is based on long-term data from the "Study of Health in Pomerania," a large population study in northern Germany. The results show that if the ECG age deviates from the actual age by more than eight years, the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, and premature mortality increases significantly.

The analysis becomes particularly meaningful when multiple ECGs are evaluated over a longer period of time. This is particularly important for middle-aged people without any significant pre-existing conditions but with a prematurely aging heart profile. Don't wait until a heart attack occurs , but intervene promptly – through increased exercise, targeted dietary changes, sleep optimization, or, if appropriately indicated, even with medication to lower blood pressure – before clinical symptoms appear.

What role do diet, exercise, and hormones play in cell rejuvenation? Can a consistently "rejuvenating lifestyle" actually help us age more healthily? In their new book , " Rejuvenation is Possible: Scientifically Researched - What Really Helps ," Nina Ruge and Dr. Dominik Duscher explore this scientifically proven lifestyle.

This article is from the EXPERTS Circle – a network of selected experts with in-depth knowledge and many years of experience. The content is based on individual assessments and is aligned with the current state of science and practice.