What’s Your Heart Age?
If you live in the UK, you might have the opportunity to find out. An ongoing study there shows that people who understand their “heart age” are more likely to make healthy lifestyle changes. To determine their heart age, Brits take a test designed to provide early warning signs of cardiovascular disease and encourage them to reduce their heart age through diet and exercise in addition to a health check. The test was completed nearly five million times between February 2015 and June 2020. Reportedly, those who used the tool most frequently were also those typically under-represented in the UK’s National Health Service Health Check program including men, younger eligible adults, and individuals from Indian and other ethnic backgrounds. Dr. Victoria Riley of Staffordshire University who led the study said the findings show that a pre-screening test, such as the heart age test, “can encourage individuals to evaluate their lifestyle choices and increase their intentions to change behavior.”
Source:
Victoria Riley, M.D. “Heart Age Test a ‘wake up call’ for those at risk,:(https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/924525)
More from this week’s health bulletin:
- Why Eat More Plant Foods?
- How Heavy Drinking Affects Kids
- Try this week’s recipe: Spicy Stir-Fried Tempeh With Basil
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