Which statement about resting heart rate and cardiac output with aging is true?

Which statement about resting heart rate and cardiac output with aging is true?

• A. Increase in heart rate and decrease in cardiac output
• B. Decrease in heart rate and decrease in cardiac output
• C. Heart rate fluctuations widely with no pattern
• D. No change in heart rate or cardiac output when resting

Answer: (D)

Resting cardiovascular function tends to stay stable with age in healthy individuals, even though the heart’s ability to respond to stress declines. At rest, the heart rate generally remains similar to that of younger adults, because autonomic balance keeps the baseline rate steady. Cardiac output at rest is the product of heart rate and stroke volume. With aging, stroke volume can decrease a bit due to changes in ventricular compliance and filling, but resting heart rate often remains unchanged, so the overall resting cardiac output stays roughly the same. The big age-related shift is seen in how the heart responds to exercise: maximum heart rate falls and the heart’s reserve diminishes. So, at rest, there is no meaningful change in heart rate or cardiac output with aging in healthy individuals.

Resting cardiovascular function tends to stay stable with age in healthy individuals, even though the heart’s ability to respond to stress declines. At rest, the heart rate generally remains similar to that of younger adults, because autonomic balance keeps the baseline rate steady. Cardiac output at rest is the product of heart rate and stroke volume. With aging, stroke volume can decrease a bit due to changes in ventricular compliance and filling, but resting heart rate often remains unchanged, so the overall resting cardiac output stays roughly the same. The big age-related shift is seen in how the heart responds to exercise: maximum heart rate falls and the heart’s reserve diminishes. So, at rest, there is no meaningful change in heart rate or cardiac output with aging in healthy individuals.