Calculating your heart’s real age….
With sobering statistics – a new report from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – your heart may be aging faster than you are.
“Heart Disease causes more disparities in health outcomes than any other single cause.” -Tom Frieden, Director, CDC.
The study considered more than 578,000 people aged 30 to 74, in the first national survey to determine heart health in this way.
It showed that heart health is even worse for minorities, the poor and the less educated.
Black men’s hearts are an average of 11 years older than their chronological age, and black women’s hearts are 11.1 years older.
African Americans typically score worse than whites in other research on heart health.
Hispanics are only slightly less healthy than whites, the study showed, and “other” races have slightly more healthy hearts than whites do.
Overall, the average heart in the United States is 6.6 years older than its owner’s chronological age.
About 30 percent of Americans have hearts younger than their chronological age, Frieden says.
Overall, the average heart in the United States for a man is over 7.8 years older than their chronological ages, and women over 5.4 years older.
Whether you smoke or are a diabetic it could be adding to the years on your heart.
“Once you hit 40 or 50, your risk from high blood pressure and the harms from smoking are really magnified.” -Tom Frieden, Director, CDC.
Friesen says heart attacks and strokes could be avoided if people manage their risk factors: getting more exercise, eating well, and maintaining a healthy weight.
Calculate your heart age here: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/cardiovasculardisease/heartage.html
