Longevity and cardiovascular disease

Longevity and cardiovascular disease run in families. From a purely statistical perspective, factors affecting one are also likely to be associated with the other. But, beyond this, understanding how familial longevity is associated with cardiovascular mortality and the events and conditions leading to it can inform the search for heritable genetic and environmental determinants of longevity. Conversely, understanding the mechanisms and pathways that protect us from cardiovascular disease may give insight into general aging mechanisms. Accordingly, we review recent studies of the relationships among longevity, cardiovascular mortality, and cardiovascular disease risk factors. The recent literature includes studies with great methodologic advances over earlier work and leaves us better positioned to understand the many places in the causal chain leading to cardiovascular death where heritable longevity factors act. We also note the strong consistency of findings across populations in the economically developed world.