Contents:
- Medical Video: What Is Your Mental Age? (Quick Test)
- The heart age can predict the risk of your heart disease
- Then, how to calculate the age of the heart?
- What should I do to keep my heart young?
Medical Video: What Is Your Mental Age? (Quick Test)
Heart disease has become a major cause of high mortality in the world due to chronic diseases. Yes, this chronic disease is quite frightening and can come suddenly. However, it is not surprising that many people are now getting more and more heart disease, because most of them adopt an unhealthy lifestyle. For that, you need to know how old your heart is.
The heart age of each person varies, depending on each lifestyle. Then how to calculate the age of the heart? Does knowing the age of the heart prevent a person from experiencing heart disease?
The heart age can predict the risk of your heart disease
Your heart age is certainly not exactly the same as your age. Each person will have a different heart age, this depends on the lifestyle he lived from before. Actually, the age of the heart is a picture of the risk of your heart and blood vessels being exposed to chronic diseases.
According to experts, by knowing the age of the heart, a person can more quickly realize that his heart and blood vessels are in danger, then change the pattern of his life to be healthier. At least, from the data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 2 men have a heart age of 5 years older than their current age. Whereas in women there are 2 out of 5 women whose heart ages are 5 years older. And every increase in the age of the heart, will make the risk of heart attack and stroke 3-4 times higher than before.
For example, a 45-year-old woman has the characteristics of active smokers, has high blood pressure, has a history of diabetes, and has a normal nutritional status (body mass index of 23 kg / m2) Then the woman counts the age of her heart with a special device and the results show that the woman has a heart that is 75 years old. Yes, 30 years different from the actual age. This is caused by the lifestyle of these women who are very risky.
Then, how to calculate the age of the heart?
Actually, there are several ways you can do to calculate the age of your heart at this time. But the most widely used is a special calculator or calculator made from the results of the Framingham Heart Study. This project was conducted by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Boston University.
In this calculator, there are a number of things you must fill in the data, such as your history of diabetes, smoking habits, body mass index, current age, gender and what is your most recent blood pressure. Although this heart age calculator does not yet exist in Indonesia, you can calculate it here.
What should I do to keep my heart young?
After you look at your current heart rate, you may feel scared and anxious. But, don't despair first, you can still reduce and make your heart stay young by doing various things - especially changing your lifestyle. Here are ways to make your heart stay young:
- Avoid smoking. If you have never smoked, then never try it. Whereas if you already have a smoking habit, you should start to stop. Being an active smoker is a risk factor that is high enough to make you get heart disease.
- Control blood pressure. if you experience hypertension, then all you have to do is control your blood pressure so it doesn't soar. This can be done by changing your diet and eating foods that are low in fat and high in fiber.
- Try to be active from now. Exercising regularly is not just a mere suggestion, but it is indeed a way to maintain your overall heart and body health.
- Control nutritional status. The more you are obese or overweight, the greater the risk of heart disease. For that, you are recommended to have a good nutritional status and a normal body mass index.
