AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 AbstractNov 9, 2026, 01:34 GMT

Higher heart valve risk linked to smaller activity gains

In 9,051 adults followed for about 25 years, questionnaire-reported activity increased most in the lowest-risk group and least in the highest-risk group.

Paper by Matthew Segar, Kaleb Lambeth, Shyon Parsa, +2Ambarish Pandey · Texas Heart Institute · UT Southwestern Med Cntr

Our read

Populations

Studied:: Cohort study of 9,051 people
Why it’s aging research:: It bears on staying healthy in midlife and later life.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper

Among 9,051 adults averaging 54.3 years old, higher artificial intelligence–based estimates of aortic stenosis risk were linked to smaller physical activity gains in an observational cohort analysis. Aortic stenosis is narrowing of the valve that lets blood leave the heart. Women made up 51.6% of participants; 82.7% were White.

The algorithm analyzed electrocardiograms, recordings of the heart’s electrical activity. Participants reported moderate-to-vigorous activity through questionnaires at three visits over about 25 years. Activity started at similar levels across three risk groups. Annual gains were greatest in the lowest-risk group and smallest in the highest-risk group. Models incorporated repeat heart recordings and accounted for deaths during follow-up. The authors suggested that effects on blood flow from valve narrowing may appear as behavioral changes years before clinical diagnosis.

Why it matters

Tracking physical activity from midlife into older age could help address whether early heart valve problems have behavioral signs before they receive a clinical diagnosis.

Caveats

Activity was self-reported, and the score represented estimated valve-disease risk. Participants with higher scores were older and had less favorable heart and metabolic health, which may also help account for their activity patterns.