One in 10 men aged 50 'have the heart of a 60-year-old'

"One-tenth of 50-year-old men have a heart age 10 years older than they are," BBC News reports. This is the finding of an analysis of 1.2 million people who used the NHS Heart Age Test. The principle behind the test is that you can "age" your heart through unhealthy behaviour such as smoking and being obese. Underlying conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which often have no noticeable symptoms, can also age the heart. An obese smoker in their 50s who has high blood pressure and high cholesterol could have the heart of a 60- or 70-year-old. The quick and simple test tells you the age of your heart compared with your actual age, and shows how many years you can expect to live in good health without having a heart attack or stroke. The test was first launched two years ago, and initial results show 1 in 10 men aged 50 who took the test has a heart age of at least 60. It also shows many people are unaware of their blood pressure. The test could be a good way of raising public awareness of cardiovascular health and the simple lifestyle changes that can reduce their risk. If you want to know what your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are, a practice nurse at your local GP surgery can test these for you. Call your surgery for advice. Where does the analysis come from? The analysis was carried out by Public Health England (PHE), a Department of Health agency responsible for improving public health and protecting the public against...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Source Type: news