A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the average American adult's heart is older than his or her actual chronological age.
The CDC report indicates that age is just a number when heart is the subject. "Heart age," as the CDC puts it, is the calculated age of a person's cardiovascular system based on some risk factors.
The risks include high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and body mass index (BMI) as an obesity indicator. It is calculated then compared to chronological age to be able to see the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
The Associated Press reports that the researchers from the CDC used data collected from all US states and from the Framingham Heart Study. Averaging the heart age of every adult, based on the risk factors, it was found that nearly 69 million adults between 30 to 74 years old have a heart that's even older than their actual age, or nearly three in four American adults having a heart age that's older than the actual age.
"This is alarming. Heart disease is the nation's number one killer," said the report's lead author, CDC scientists Quanhe Yang, as per AP. "But the bottom line is you can do some very simple things" to become younger at heart, he said.
CNN reports that the researchers used a heart risk calculator to show heart age. CDC Director Tom Frieden said this is a simple way to determine a person's risk for heart attack or stroke.
"Heart age is a understandable simple tool for people to understand their heart risk," Frieden said. "For every American, learning heart age can be a clear call to take charge of your health."
This is the first study to give population-level estimates of heart age, and highlighting disparities in it nationwide.
Key findings of the study include the following:
- The average heart age for adult men is eight years older than their actual age. For women, it's five years older.
- Though the average heart age normally is older than the actual age for all races/ethnic groups, it is highest among African-American men and women, with 11 years average older heart age.
- For both US men and women, the excess heart age gets higher as they get older, and lower with higher education and income.
- Differences in heart age vary with geographical locations. Adults in Southern states typically have higher heart ages.
"Too many U.S. adults have a heart age years older than their real age, increasing their risk of heart disease and stroke," said Frieden. "Everybody deserves to be young—or at least not old—at heart."
