A new study has found that many adults, especially in the United States, have a heart that is older than their real age. This means their "heart age" is higher than their actual age, and it could be a warning sign for future heart problems.

The research was published on Wednesday in JAMA Cardiology. It was done by scientists at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The team also created a free online tool called the PREVENT Risk Age Calculator, which helps people check how old their heart really is.

How the heart age calculator works

The PREVENT Risk Age Calculator takes basic health information like cholesterol levels, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), medications, smoking habits, and diabetes status. It then gives an estimate of the person’s risk for heart disease and heart failure. Instead of showing a percentage, it shows a number that represents your heart’s age.

“Heart age, or PREVENT age, may be particularly useful for patients and clinicians and be more effective in preventing heart disease,” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, the senior author of the study and the Magerstadt professor of cardiovascular epidemiology at Northwestern.

She explained that the tool turns complicated risk details into something easier to understand. “It translates complex information about the risk of heart attack, stroke, or heart failure over the next 10 years into a number that is easier to understand and compare with one we are all familiar with: your actual age,” she added.

The goal of the tool is to help doctors and patients talk more clearly about heart risks and take steps early to prevent serious heart conditions.

Men have a higher heart age gap than women

Researchers tested the tool using data from over 14,000 people aged 30 to 79 across the U.S. None of these people had any history of heart disease.

When they compared the heart age to the actual age, they found that many people had older hearts than expected. For women, the average heart age was 55.4, which was almost four years older than their actual age of 51.3. For men, the average heart age was 56.7, which was seven years older than their real age of 49.7.

Dr. Khan said, “It's probably not that meaningful if your age is off by one or two years,” but the researchers suggest being concerned if your heart age is five years or more older than your actual age.

“We hope this new heart age calculator will help support discussions about prevention and ultimately improve health for all people,” Dr. Khan said.

However, the researchers also pointed out that there were some limits in the study. “The definition of optimal risk may influence the calculation of PREVENT risk age,” they wrote. They added that population-based data might be another way to explain the risks, but this too depends on how healthy the general population is.

Dr. Khan added, “This type of tool needs to be tested widely to determine if it is more readily understood.”

The heart age calculator is now available online and could help people become more aware of their heart health.

You might also be interested in: Massive protest over SSC phase 13: Students slam technical glitches, poor planning