NEW YORK (AP) – Your heart might be older than you are. A new government report suggests age is just a number – and perhaps not a very telling one when it comes to your risk of heart attack or stroke.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report takes a new approach to try to spur more Americans to take steps to prevent cardiovascular disease. CDC scientists estimated the average “heart age” of men and women in every state, based on risk factors like high blood pressure, obesity, and whether they smoke or have diabetes. Then it compared the numbers to average actual ages.
The results?
Nearly three out of four U.S. adults have a heart that’s older than the rest of their body, according to CDC calculations.
For U.S. men on average, the predicted heart age was nearly eight years greater than their real age. For U.S. women, it was about five-and-a-half years.