It may be true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but a new study suggests that men’s hearts may grow differently over time than women’s, with potential consequences for later heart disease.
The study, published Tuesday in the medical journal Radiology, found that men and women’s hearts grow differently, according to the Huffington Post. Focusing on the left ventricle, the study found that the chamber grows larger and thicker as men age. But as women age, the left ventricle tends to shrink or remain stable in size.
The study is part of a larger effort called the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), which is following 7,000 people to assess the potential factors that influence heart disease.
In the long-term left ventricle study, nearly 3,000 adults ages forty-five to eighty-four participated. None of the participants had heart disease when they enrolled in the research. Unlike previous studies using ultrasound imaging, the researchers for the first time used the more detailed MRI scanning technology, taking scans of each participant at the beginning and the end of the ten-year study.
Over that period, the left ventricle in men on average gained about 8 grams, while women lost 1.6 grams of weight.
The lead author of the study, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said that the results may suggest a need for heart disease treatments tailored for the sexes.