New 10-question test reveals if your heart is ageing faster than your body – and if you need to take action now

The Sun

3 days ago

DID you know your heart could age quicker than the rest of your body?
Many adults' hearts are up to a decade older than their chronological age, putting them at risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure, scientists have warned.
Calculating your "heart age" doesn't sound particularly doable for most without specialised equipment, but researchers from Northwestern University have put together a free online tool that does just that.
Using routine health data such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels and whether you have diabetes or smoke, the 10-question quiz can calculate your heart age based on risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Being a smoker and having cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure can all make heart health issues more likely.
Traditionally, heart disease risk is calculated as a percentage.
For example, your doctor may say 'eight out of 100 people with your profile may have a heart event in the next 10 years".
Researchers wanted to find a less abstract and more relatable way to convey the risk of heart disease.
The new online calculator - which used criteria from the American Heart Association - hopes to make heart disease risk easier to understand by reframing it as heart age.
Dr Sadiya Khan, the Magerstadt professor of cardiovascular epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who led the development of the tool, said: 'Many people who should be on medicine to lower their risk for heart attack, stroke or heart failure are not on these medications.
'We hope this tool helps doctors and patients discuss risk for heart disease more effectively so we can better inform what therapies can prevent heart attacks, stroke or heart failure events from ever happening."
But researchers stressed that the quiz shouldn't replace medical care and advised people use it in consultation with a doctor.
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Dr Khan and her team put the tool to the test using data from more 14,000 "nationally representative" US adults, aged between 30 to 79.
All participants had no prior history of CVD.
On average, they found that women had a heart age of 55.4, compared to a chronological age of 51.3.
Men had a wider gap, with an average heart age of 56.7 compared to an average chronological age of 49.7.
How to reduce your risk of heart attacks and stroke
You can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke with many of the same methods.
Heart attacks and strokes, although affecting different organs of the body, are both what we call cardiovascular events.
Both arise from similar underlying conditions, such as atherosclerosis —a buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries.
According to the American Heart Association, the risk factors for heart attacks and strokes are largely the same: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes.
Therefore, addressing these risk factors can simultaneously reduce the risk of both conditions.
Here are ways you can prevent the two:
Healthy diet
More fruit and veg: The DASH, which emphasises fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve heart health.
Less fats: Too much saturated and trans fats can raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of atherosclerosis. Go for healthier fats like those found in olive oil, nuts, and avocados.
Limit salt: High salt intake is linked to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for both heart attack and stroke. The NHS recommends no more than 6g of salt per day for adults.
Fibre: Foods high in soluble fibre, such as oats and beans, can help lower cholesterol levels.
Exercise
Walking, running, cycling, swimming - whatever you like, do it!
Aerobic exercise can strengthen the heart and improve circulation.
The NHS advises at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week.
Strength training exercises can help control weight, improve cholesterol levels, and reduce blood pressure. It is recommended twice a week by the NHS.
Manage blood pressure
Healthy diet and exercise can help keep your blood pressure in check.
But it is worth monitoring it yourself after the age of 40, at least, when the NHS invites adults for a check-up every five years.
High blood pressure often has no symptoms but significantly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Quit smoking
One of the best ways to quit smoking is to use resources provided by NHS Smokefree. Support groups, medications, and other tools to help quit smoking such as vapes could be what you need to kick the habit for good - and it's free.
Limit booze
Excessive alcohol consumption can increase blood pressure and contribute to weight gain, which can snowball and become a heart health risk.
The NHS recommends not regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol per week.
Nearly a third of men who'd left school at 16 or earlier had a heart age more than 10 years older than their actual age.
Black and Hispanic were also more likely to have older hearts.
Dr Khan said the heart age calculator could be particularly useful for younger adults who either want to get a head start with protecting their ticker or might need to be on preventative medication.
Heart disease is one of the biggest killers worldwide.
There are over 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK, with numbers projected to rise in the next couple of decades.
They cause more than 170,000 deaths a year, according to the British Heart Foundation - that works out to about 480 a day.
How to use the tool - and when to be concerned
Dr Khan told TODAY.com that the heart age tool can be used as a "forecast" someone's risk of CVD over the next decade.
While "it's probably not that meaningful if your age is off by one or two years", she said, the authors recommend getting concerned if the gap is five years or more.
If you're seeing a large gap between your heart and actual age, this "likely points to worsening cardiovascular disease risk", even if you're young.
'The important thing is that we have very good options available in our toolbox to help slow that ageing down if we can identify it," Dr Khan noted.
"This may be even more important in younger people who don't often think about their risk for heart disease."
If your heart age is actually lower than your chronological age - what Dr Khan called the "the Holy Grail" - that's likely thanks to genetics.
She suggested using the tool as motivation to boost your heart health, whatever your score.
If you're a smoker, quitting the habit is a good place to start, as reducing your consumption of saturated fat if you have high cholesterol, and trying to keep your blood pressure in check.
The Northwestern research team now plan to study whether presenting heart disease risk as an age improves outcomes and helps people better understand their need for preventive therapies.