The NHS has urged people to make a simple check that can be completed at home, as it could reveal an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Highlighting the free health assessment tool, the NHS encouraged people to calculate their heart age.
You can find out your heart age by using the online calculator here. As the NHS website explains: “Your heart age gives you an idea of how healthy your heart is.”
The tool is easy to use. It compares your real age with your heart age by asking you questions about your health before sharing advice on how to improve your health age by making lifestyle changes. Urging people to use the tool, the NHS posted on X: “If your heart age is older than your actual age, you could be at increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Check your heart age.”
Calculating your heart age
As per the NHS, you can use the tool if:
- you are aged 30 to 95
- you do not have a condition that affects your heart or blood vessels
- you live in the UK
Before completing the check, you’ll need to know your weight, height, blood pressure and cholesterol. “You can still use this calculator if you do not have your blood pressure or cholesterol details but the results may be less accurate,” the NHS explains.
According to the NHS you can get your blood pressure tested at several places, including your local GP surgery and some pharmacies. Alternatively, you could buy a digital blood pressure monitor for home use.
There are two ways to test cholesterol: taking blood from your arm or using a finger-prick test. The NHS says to ask your GP surgery for a cholesterol test if you have not had a test before and you’re over 40, overweight, or high cholesterol or heart problems run in your family. Some pharmacies offer cholesterol tests, but you may have to pay for it.