Biological age may not be the only number to consider when it comes to predicting longevity. Also consider your ‘heart age’, experts warn.
The so-called heart age reflects a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease based on various risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, smoking status and the presence of conditions such as diabetes.
Doctors say Americans should aim for a heart age younger than their biological age, even if just one year, for the best chance at a healthy, long life.
However, tThe average American adult has a heart like that about seven years older than they are, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The concept of “heart age” was developed by the scientists behind the Framingham Heart Study, which has followed more than 575,000 residents of suburban Boston for nearly seven decades and analyzed risk factors for heart disease.
Heart age is at least partially influenced by weight, smoking history and other modifiable risk factors, meaning that advanced age can be reversed.
Cardiologist Dr. Seth Jacobson of the University of Rochester said: ‘It is a representation of your 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease. Translating this into age, we can see how our family history and personal choices influence our hearts.”
There are numerous online calculators available to help people aged 30 and older better understand their cardiovascular health. They all ask users to enter their age, weight and height to calculate body mass index.
They also require the user to know their systolic blood pressure, which often appears on top of the other lower number and represents the diastolic blood pressure.
The calculator also asks if the user has type 2 diabetes, which is a significant risk factor for heart disease. In fact, type 2 diabetics are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.
It also requires the user to know their total and HDL cholesterol levels.
HDL, or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, is often called the “good” type of cholesterol because it contains the fatty substance that can restrict blood flow back to the liver, removing the cholesterol.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three in four Americans have a heart age higher than their actual age, suggesting that the vast majority of American adults could do more to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.
The majority of Americans have a heart age that is, on average, seven years older than their actual age
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death among Americans, accounting for about 20 percent of deaths in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available.
Dr. Joseph Wu, volunteer chairman of the American Heart Association, director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, said: “Heart disease and stroke, the fifth leading cause of death, claim more lives in the US than all cancers and chronic diseases. lower respiratory tract diseases combined, based on the most recent data available.
“So the results of this study, which show that most people are unaware of the significant impact of heart disease, are discouraging and even a little frightening.”
Signs of an aging heart include chest pain during exercise, fatigue, shortness of breath and dizziness.
Reversing high heart age starts with changing unhealthy lifestyle habits. If you smoke or vape, doctors are begging you to quit.
Exercising at least 150 minutes a week can lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels and help maintain a healthy weight.
Cardiologists also recommend lowering cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, by reducing trans and saturated fat intake from foods such as red meat, eating plenty of fiber, and opting for vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower and others instead of butter or shortening. cooking or sitting at the table.