Fifty is the new 60 for some, with unhealthy lifestyles meaning nearly one in five middle-aged men have a ‘heart age’ of someone a decade older.
Some 18 per cent of men and 14 per cent of women in their 50s have hearts ageing ten years faster than they should be, according to Public Health England calculations.
Soaring obesity rates, poor diets and lack of exercise are taking their toll on the UK’s cardiovascular health.
Soaring obesity rates and inactivity are taking their toll on the UK’s cardiovascular health
The new analysis, based on tests taken by 1.2million people aged over 30 in England, shows 83 per cent of men and 73 per cent of women have prematurely ageing hearts.
Officials are particularly worried about over-50s – the age at which heart health seems to take a sudden downward turn, dramatically increasing the risk of a heart attack, stroke or cardiac arrest. The researchers used an online test which questions people about their weight, height and lifestyle.
Every month, 7,400 people in England die from heart disease or stroke. A quarter of deaths are among people under 75 –and most can be prevented.
Experts say having a high heart age is an accurate marker that someone is at increased risk of dementia, heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney disease and diabetes. But they stress that making simple changes – such as getting fit or improving diet – can reduce this risk.
Thousands die every month in England due to heart disease or stroke and most of them are preventable
Jamie Waterall, in charge of cardiovascular disease prevention at Public Health England, said: ‘We should all aim for our heart age to be the same as our real age – addressing our risk of heart disease and stroke should not be left until we are older.’
Cardiovascular disease, which causes heart attacks and strokes, is the main cause of death among men and the second highest cause of death in women. The Heart Age Test has been available on the Public Health England and British Heart Foundation websites since February 2015.
An assessment of 1.2million tests taken showed that 78 per cent of participants had a heart age older than their real age.
But among 14 per cent, taking into account all ages, participants’ health was so bad that their heart age was judged to be a full decade older than their real age. This gap increased with age, with only 2 per cent of men and 1 per cent of women in their 30s showing a ten-year gap between real age and heart age. This increased to 7 per cent for men and women in their 40s, 18 per cent of men and 14 per cent of women in their 50s, and 32 per cent of men and 19 per cent of women in their 60s.
Nearly half of adults fail to go for a brisk walk even once a month, research has found
Among those in their 70s, 43 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women had a heart age a decade older than it should be.
Worryingly, half of those who have taken the test so far did not know their blood pressure, which can be a major red flag for heart disease.
Professor John Deanfield, who is a senior adviser to Public Health England and led development of the test, said: ‘It’s about convincing people their heart health really matters, and if they take action early in life and sustain that, they will get a big lifetime benefit on their future risk of heart disease.’
It follows research published last month which found that Britain is in the midst of a major ‘inactivity epidemic’ – with nearly half of adults failing to go for a brisk walk even once a month. Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘It’s extremely worrying that so many people don’t know their blood pressure or cholesterol levels, as these silent conditions can lead to a deadly heart attack or stroke if untreated.’