Public Health England have urged people to take an online test to find out their 'heart age'.
A online test from Public Health England reveals your heart age and whether you’re at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Developed by medical experts, the free test is part of a campaign to reduce to number of people who die from a heart attack or a stroke.
The test asks 16 easy-to-answer questions on lifestyle and medical history, including whether you smoke and if you have cardiovascular disease. One you’ve entered your information, the quiz tells you your ‘heart age’, which can be increased by high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and what age someone like you can expect to live to. While the quiz doesn’t provide a diagnosis, it does give an indication of your heart health and what small changes can do to cut your risk of problems down the line.
Public Health England has said that of the nearly 2 million people who have taken the test, 78% had a heart age higher than their actual age.
Worryingly, over a third (34 per cent) had a heart age more than five years above their real age and 14% found it was 10 years higher. In the UK, around 84,100 people die from a heart attack or stroke annually.
Public Health England predict about 80 per cent of heart attacks and strokes in people under 75 could be prevented.
NHS gives the following tips for a healthy heart:
- Give up smoking
- Read the food label
- Get active
- Follow advice on how to lose weight
- Eat more fibre
- Cut down on saturated fat
- Get your 5-a-day
- Cut down on salt
- Eat fish
- Stop drinking alcohol - or at least, cut down
Professor Jamie Waterall, national lead for cardiovascular disease at PHE, said: ‘Millions are at risk of cardiovascular disease but don’t know it, putting themselves at real risk of suffering ill-health or dying younger.
‘Knowing your heart age is a simple way of finding out whether you’re at risk of a heart attack or stroke. By making important lifestyle changes you can reduce your risk before it’s too late.’
