NHS trick you can do at home to find out how ‘old’ your heart is

The NHS has introduced a simple yet effective tool that allows individuals to determine their heart’s “age” from the comfort of their own homes. This heart age calculator can provide valuable insights into one’s overall health, with a heart age higher than the actual age indicating a potential increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

Using the calculator is a quick and user-friendly process, involving answering various health-related questions to compare real age with heart age. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete and also offers guidance on lifestyle changes for those seeking to improve their heart age. The tool is designed for individuals aged between 30 and 95 without any existing heart or blood vessel conditions.

Questions in the calculator cover aspects such as weight, height, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Even if specific details like blood pressure or cholesterol levels are unknown, the calculator can still be used, albeit with potentially less accuracy in the results. Additionally, users are asked to provide their age and postcode, with the assurance from the NHS that this information is not stored or used for identification purposes.

Including age and postcode in the calculation process aids in generating a more precise heart age assessment, as the postcode is compared against a deprivation index. While entering the postcode is optional, it can enhance the accuracy of the results. The calculator offers an estimated heart age and predicts the likelihood of experiencing a heart attack or stroke in the next decade.

Users receive a detailed breakdown of their results along with advice from the NHS on maintaining heart health. The importance of early heart health care is highlighted, with emphasis on proactive measures for those with a family history of heart issues. Taking care of heart health from a younger age is known to significantly impact heart health in later years.

To determine your heart age, you can access the online calculator provided by the NHS. This tool serves as a valuable resource for individuals looking to assess and improve their heart health from the comfort of their homes.