The NHS has developed a tool that allows you to calculate your heart’s “age” from the comfort of your own home. This heart age can provide insight into your overall health, with a score higher than your actual age suggesting an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
This user-friendly calculator compares your real age with your heart age by asking various health-related questions. It takes less than 10 minutes to use and also offers advice on healthy lifestyle changes for those looking to improve their heart age.
The tool is suitable for people aged between 30 and 95 who do not have a condition affecting their heart or blood vessels. It asks about weight, height, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
Even if you don’t know your blood pressure or cholesterol details, you can still use the calculator, but the results may be less accurate. The heart age calculator also requires your age and postcode, which the NHS assures is neither stored nor used to identify an individual.
The NHS explains that including age and postcode enables a “more accurate heart age calculation”, as the postcode is matched against a deprivation index. However, entering your postcode is optional, reports the Daily Record.
The findings offer an “about” heart age and predict the chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke in the forthcoming ten years. Participants are provided with a comprehensive breakdown of their results, accompanied by NHS advice on how to preserve heart health.
The guidance includes the message: “Evidence suggests that taking care of your heart health when you’re younger can make a significant difference to your heart health in later years.”
It also emphasises: “This is especially important if there is a history of heart problems in your family.”
To find out your heart age, you can use the online calculator here.