How Old Is Your Heart?

My Weekly’s favourite GP from TV and radio writes for you

Do you know how old your heart is? “As old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth” – but it’s not that age I’m talking about. Public Health England has just launched a new “know your heart age” campaign, to help folk realise you can turn back the clock on heart attack risks by improving your lifestyle.

The statistics from people who’ve taken the Heart Age test make worrying reading. One in 8 people have a heart age that’s 10 years older than their passport says they are; and one in 10 50-year-old men have a heart age of 60 or over. In fact, 4 in 5 people who took the test have a heart age higher than their chronological age.

Fortunately, there are lots of ways you can reduce your “heart age”. Obviously your age (the one on your birth certificate!) affects your risk of heart disease, and so does your gender – women don’t suffer heart attacks as often as men do, but there’s no room for complacency.