Hindustan Unilever : Does your heart age match your real age?

29-09-2014 - Do you have an old heart in a young body or a young heart in an older body? This World Heart Day it's time to find out.

The free HeartAge test(Link opens in a new window) asks you a few simple questions about your body, health and family history and then, taking into account the key risk factors for heart disease and how they interact, gives you with one number - your individual heart age.

So far more than 6 million people have taken the HeartAge test around the world to find out how their heart age compares to their real age.

And if your heart age is older than you are, you can consider making some changes to your diet and lifestyle such as taking more exercise, eating a healthier diet or stopping smoking.

Heart disease remains the world's biggest killer, and more people die annually from heart disease than from any other cause. The good news is as many as 80% of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke could be prevented through small lifestyle changes.

HeartAge researchers found that people with high blood pressure who stick to a healthy diet could lower heart age by an average of 2-6 years. Meanwhile, overweight or obese people who lose 5 kilogrammes could reduce their heart age by 2-4 years and giving up smoking could reduce heart age by an average of 13 years.

Dr Holly Whelan, Chief Exective and co-founder of HeartAge, says: "The first step to improving your heart health is understanding your risk and this is where HeartAge comes in. HeartAge also acts as an emotional trigger - none of us wants to be older than we really are, and independent clinical research has shown that people who know their heart age are more likely to live a healthier lifestyle and have improved health one year on."

As part of the Sustainable Living Plan (USLP), Unilever aims to motivate 100 million people to take the HeartAge test by 2020.

The science behind HeartAge was developed by Unilever in collaboration with Boston University and today, HeartAge is an independent global healthy lifestyle brand collaborating with a range of public and private sector partners who have a shared mission to improve heart health.

To find out your Heart Age and how to improve it, visit: www.heartage.me(Link opens in a new window) and find out more about Unilever's work on heart health.