Coventry residents are urged to take test to show age of their heart

PEOPLE in Coventry are being urged to take a test to show the real age of their heart and discover whether they are at risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Public Health England (PHE) has created the test to give people an early warning of the lifethreatening conditions.

They say 50 deaths a day across the country could be prevented if people changed their lifestyles.

In Coventry, around 328 people die from heart disease and 169 from strokes each year.

And one in four of those deaths are among under 75s and around 80 per cent could be prevented if people take action to improve their heart health, according to PHE.

If someone’s heart age is higher than their actual age, they are at an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke, according to PHE.

So knowing your heart age is key to living a healthy life - and considering making changes if you’re not happy with your results.

Worryingly, more than one in 10 people tested in Coventry had a heart at least 10 years older than their real age (16 per cent).

A massive 36 per cent had a heart age at least five years older than their real age, and a massive 75 per cent were living with a heart at least one year older than their real age.

The Heart Age Test asks a number of simple physical and lifestyle questions and provides an immediate estimation of someone’s heart age, as well as a prediction of the risk of having a heart attack or stroke by a certain age.

It also gives suggestions on lifestyle changes to help people reduce their heart age such as losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising regularly and cutting back on alcohol.

Dr Lola Abudu, Director of Health and Wellbeing for Public Health England (PHE) in the West Midlands, said: “Even if an adult’s heart age is close to their actual age, there are still things you can do to live a healthier life for longer.

“All adults aged 40 to 74 in England are encouraged to have their free NHS Health Check, to access specialist, personalised advice.

“There are also a number of useful videos and resources available by going to the NHS website www.nhs.uk and searching for NHS Health Check.”

Dave Lancaster from Warwick weighed more than 34 stone and was on medication for a long list of health problems including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnoea before he decided to lose weight with the help of Slimming World - who are offering a discount for those who take the heart age test - in April 2016.

The 45-year-old had a starting heart age of 55, but after losing more than 20 stone his new heart age is just one year older than him.

He also no longer needs to take any medication, his blood sugar reading has dropped from 94 to 25 - meaning he displays no type 2 diabetes symptoms - and his blood pressure is in the range of a man 20 years younger.

Mr Lancaster said: “I’d been overweight for as long as I could remember.

“I tried all sorts of things to lose weight, and I even lost 10st on a meal replacement diet - but I learned nothing about healthy eating.

“When I went back to my usual sausage and egg muffin breakfast, rounds of sandwiches and crisps for lunch, and takeaways polished off with two or three bottles of wine at the end of the day, I quickly regained the weight.

“At my biggest, my health really started to suffer. I had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, joint pain, high cholesterol, the beginnings of gout and sleep apnoea.

“I found it difficult to walk to the end of my road, so I rarely went out.

“As I got bigger and bigger, it felt as though my world was gradually shrinking.

“I knew I needed help, and finally, in April 2016, I decided to give Slimming World a try and joined my local group run by my former neighbour, Angie.

“As I walked through the door she recognised me straight away, despite us having not seen each other for years.

“Since losing weight, my health has improved dramatically.

“I no longer need to take medication, my blood sugar reading has dropped from 94 to 25, meaning that I no longer have Type 2 diabetes, I have a resting heart rate of 40bpm, my blood pressure has dropped from 140/77 to 116/68 and I no longer have high cholesterol”

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), with stroke and heart attack being the most common examples, is the leading cause of death for men and the second leading cause of death for women.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure can both increase someone’s heart age, making them up to three times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke.

In England, one in four adults have high blood pressure yet a further 5.6 million are living with the condition undiagnosed, placing millions of lives at risk of premature death and ill health, according to PHE.

TV Doctor and GP, Dr Hilary Jones, who is supporting the campaign, said: “With 50 preventable deaths every day of people under the age of 75, this is serious.

“It’s vital that people know their heart health and take steps to reduce risk.”