6. Heart Muscle Cells: Enduring Through Decades
Most of your heart muscle cells—known as cardiomyocytes—are remarkably long-lived, lasting for decades or even a lifetime. Only a small fraction are replaced each year, which means your heart’s capacity for regeneration is limited. This enduring nature explains why recovery after a heart attack is so challenging and why heart muscle damage often leads to lasting complications. Age-related heart disease is closely linked to this slow turnover. For more, see Scientific American.