Quitting smoking, increasing exercise and taking the right medications can help keep cardiovascular disease at bay.Getty Images/iStockphoto
This is part of a regular series on aging well.
We can plump up our wrinkles and dye our greys, but on the inside, our hearts have their own age. Are those arteries smooth and limber, or hardened with waxy plaque? Spending five minutes at MyHealthCheckup.com can shed light on whether you have a youthful ticker or a pension-aged heart.
The free cardiovascular-age calculator is designed for Canadians age 30 and up, based on research from McGill University and the University of Alberta. You don't have to give your name or create an account. You simply punch in your age, sex, height, weight, waist measurement and exercise habits. The app asks about smoking habits and family history of heart disease and diabetes, but includes an "I don't know" button for factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, in case you haven't had those tests.
The results page shows your "heart age" in years and risk for a heart attack or stroke in the next decade. It also notes whether you have any "modifiable risks factors" – the chance to lower the odds.
Fatty deposits build up in our arteries while we're busy paying off the mortgage or eating tacos on sun holidays in Mexico. When arterial plaque ruptures, it can form large clots that block the flow of oxygen-rich blood, causing a heart attack. The risk of heart disease increases for men after the age of 45 and women after 55 (or menopause). But quitting smoking, increasing exercise and taking the right medications can help keep cardiovascular disease at bay.
Cardiovascular-age calculators are an important prevention tool, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last fall, the CDC reported that U.S. adults from the ages of 30 to 74 have, on average, a predicted heart age more than five years older than their chronological age. Knowing their heart age "might motivate persons, especially younger persons, to adopt healthier lifestyles," the report said.
Canadians who use the heart age calculator at MyHealthCheckup.com have the option to register for a free web-based health program. It includes tools to help people quit smoking, exercise more and stick to any prescribed medications. The program offers participants the chance to meet with a pharmacist or health coach on four occasions, or track their progress on their own.
Many people don't take these steps until after they have suffered from cardiovascular disease, since risk factors are easy to ignore when we're caught up in everyday life. But why wait until our hearts stop us dead in our tracks?