What Is My Heart Age?

To learn your heart age, this heart heath assessment calculator is a great starting point. The calculator factors in things like your age, blood pressure, weight and physical activity, and compares your risk of cardiovascular disease against someone without any risk factors. “Risk of cardiovascular disease” is your chance of having a cardiovascular event (heart attack, stroke, heart failure or peripheral artery disease) in the future.

For example, if your real age is 50, but your heart age is 56, your risk of cardiovascular disease is more like a healthy 56-year-old (without any risk factors). The fewer risk factors you have, the closer your heart age will be to your actual age. In fact, it may be younger.

“If you are worried about your heart, you should see a cardiologist,” says Cardiologist Douglas E. Vaughan, MD, the Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine Emeritus at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and director of Potocsnak Longevity Institute at Northwestern Medicine and The Human Longevity Lab at Northwestern Medicine. Dr. Vaughan and his team of physicians and scientists study the relationship between chronological age (how many years old you are) and biological age (how old your body appears in terms of your overall health), and how they may differ. “There are all kinds of tests and measurements that can be done to find out if you are at risk for an event or for a problem in the foreseeable future. And, fortunately, there are many, many things that can be done that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. We do it every day. A competent, thorough cardiologist can provide guidance to protect your heart for a long time.”

At The Human Longevity Lab, Dr. Vaughan and his team perform sophisticated and less conventional measures of cardiovascular function. “The measures that we perform include AI-based aging clocks that help us precisely determine cardiovascular age in people that go through the laboratory,” says Dr. Vaughan. “These tools include measuring arterial stiffness, endothelial function, heart rate variability and AI-based tools for analyzing retinal photographs and 12-lead electrocardiograms.”

Managing Your Risk of Heart Problems

To keep the age of your heart in check, you have the ability to improve many of your risk factors.

Risk Factors You Can Change

• Tobacco use: Smoking is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease. It damages the lining of your arteries, leading to plaque buildup and blood clots. If you do smoke, find help to stop.
• High cholesterol: Cholesterol is a type of fat found in your blood. Your body needs cholesterol to make hormones and keep your cells healthy. However, if your diet includes more cholesterol than your body needs, it can build up in your arteries and block them. This causes heart and blood vessel disease. A simple blood test called a lipid profile can show if you’re meeting the recommended guidelines. Some people can control cholesterol by maintaining a healthy weight, moderately exercising at least 150 minutes a week and eating a healthy diet. Other people may need medication to help control it.
• High blood sugar: Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease due to the damaging effects of high blood sugar on your blood vessels and the nerves controlling your heart. Controlling your blood sugar through diet, exercise and sleep can minimize the risk of diabetes as well as heart complications associated with diabetes. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it’s important to manage your condition as well as all other cardiovascular disease risk factors.
• Obesity: Keeping your weight in a healthy range lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. One way to find out if you’re at a healthy weight is by calculating your body mass index (BMI). Your BMI is your weight in pounds x 703 divided by your height in inches multiplied by your height in inches. For example, a person who weighs 165 pounds and is 5 feet, 4 inches tall has a BMI of 28:
  
  

  (165 pounds x 703) / (64 inches x 64 inches) = 28

  To quickly get your BMI, use an online calculator for adults or for children and teens. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

  • A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy.
  • A BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight.
  • A BMI over 30 is considered obese for all adults over age 20.

  Based on this scale, a healthy weight range for a 5-foot, 4-inch adult is between 110 and 144 pounds.

  Another tool that you can use to find healthy weight zones is the body roundness index (BRI). BRI takes your waist and hip circumference into account to gauge visceral fat (the amount of fat surrounding your internal organs like your liver and heart).

• High blood pressure: If your blood pressure is too high, it can cause damage to your heart and blood vessels. Blood pressure increases as you grow older, so be sure to have it checked each time you visit your physician or get a blood pressure cuff for home use. Blood pressure can be controlled by:
  • Exercising regularly, at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week. A bike ride or brisk walk falls into this category.
  • Eating a healthy and low-sodium diet, like the DASH diet. DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is a vegetarian diet with the addition of moderate amounts of poultry and fish, and a focus on low-sodium foods.
  • Prioritizing sleep. You’ve probably heard the American Heart Association’s recommendation to aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night. It’s sound advice for your overall health, including your heart. Poor sleep makes it harder for your body to control your blood sugar and can cause your blood pressure to stay higher for longer. These factors increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, lack of sleep can increase the level of inflammation in your body, which also increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Maintaining a healthy weight, which can take as much effort as losing weight. Here are some tips:
    • Set realistic goals. Don’t try to overhaul your entire lifestyle overnight. Start with small, achievable goals and gradually build from there.
    • Find support. Connect with friends, family or a support group for encouragement and accountability.
    • Talk to your care team. Your physician or dietitian can work with you on a personalized plan to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
  Taking blood pressure medicine if your physician prescribes it for you.

  Risk Factors You Can’t Change

  • Age: Your risk of cardiovascular disease increases as you grow older. With age, your heart muscle may not beat as fast, and the walls of your heart and the valves that control blood flow between your heart’s chambers can become thicker and stiffer.
  • Existing cardiovascular disease: If you have experienced a heart attack, stroke, heart failure and peripheral artery disease (poor blood flow in the legs), your heart age is going to be higher than if you had no cardiovascular events.
  • Family history of early cardiovascular disease: Having a brother or father diagnosed with cardiovascular disease before they turned 55, or having a sister or mother diagnosed before age 65 increases your risk.

  Next Steps for Your Heart

  Taking proactive steps to manage your heart health is important at any age. If you’re unsure of your own health metrics like blood pressure or cholesterol level, or if you’re experiencing any symptoms of cardiovascular disease, visit your primary care physician. Your physician can establish your baseline health information and discuss your risk factors, including your family history, to help you decide whether to see a cardiologist.

  “We have the tools to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” says Dr. Vaughan.

  Learn more about the science of longevity.