心脏减龄的七种方式

官华宇

Work out your heart age

You may look and feel young， but is your heart letting you down？ Heart age is a concept that captures your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. There are factors that you cant change or control： getting older， being male （until 55—then women start to catch up） and having a family history of cardiovascular disease （CVD）. Then there are the factors within your control： smoking， exercise， diet and alcohol. There are also hidden factors that dont cause symptoms but increase risk， such as high blood pressure， cholesterol or blood glucose （diabetes）. You can calculate your heart age using a simple online tool， but its more accurate if you know your cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Get a health check

Every 40- to 74-year-old in England is entitled to a health check every five years at a GP surgery1， pharmacy or， in some areas， in local libraries or mobile units in shopping centres. Over-75s can have an annual checkup. Under-40s are generally at low risk but should see their GP if a close family member has had a heart attack or stroke at a young age （under 55 for a male relative， under 65 for a female）. You can buy a DIY cholesterol-testing kit and measure your blood pressure at home， but it can be useful to have a discussion with a health professional， too.

Quit smoking

At least one-third of all CVD is attributable to five risk factors： cigarettes， high blood pressure， alcohol， high cholesterol and obesity—in that order of importance. Other factors are inactivity and a poor diet with not much fruit and veg. So， start with quitting smoking; it will be hard， yes—nicotine is more addictive than heroin—but， if you value your health， its the most worthwhile thing to do. Every year， nearly half of all smokers in the UK try to stop， but only 2-3% succeed. Best to take all the help you can get; the evidence is that youre more likely to succeed if you get psychological support， nicotine-replacement therapy2 and prescribed drugs to reduce cravings.

Get your blood pressure down

An ideal blood pressure （BP） lies between 90/60 and 120/80 and is considered to be high if consistently above 140/90. Its a measure of the pressure in the heart when it pumps out blood round the body over the pressure when the heart is resting. BP rises as you get older， fatter， less active， drink more alcohol and eat more salt. You may have an inherited tendency to high BP so even if you are slim， teetotal， active and eat a great diet， you may be advised to take medication to keep your BP in the healthy range.

Do enough exercise to stop you talking

Two and a half hours a week of moderate physical activity lowers your risk of CVD by a third. To count as moderate activity， you need to feel yourself getting warmer and your heart and breathing rate increase. Vigorous activity， like a fast run or high-intensity interval training3， means you cant really talk without pausing for breath. Any activity is better than none and vigorous activity is probably better than more leisurely exercise. Parkruns4 are free， weekly， 5K runs that take place in 490 parks throughout the UK. There is no downside to training up and joining in one of these joyful community events.

Get the good cholesterol up， and the bad down

Cholesterol is a fat found in food （e.g. meat and dairy products） and made in the liver. Total cholesterol circulating in the blood is made up of low-density lipoprotein5 （LDL）， which clogs up arteries， and high-density lipoprotein6 （HDL）， which is protective. Ideally， total cholesterol should be under 5mmol/L and LDL under 3mmol/L. But to interpret your cholesterol levels， you need to factor in any other risk factors to get an overall risk score. If it is high， you will be advised to exercise more and eat a low-cholesterol diet. If that doesnt work， you may be offered medication such as statins7.

Dont take heart age too seriously; its just a guide

My heart age is apparently eight years older than my actual age; I ticked all the right boxes， but my dad had a heart attack at a young age. This despite the fact that his lifestyle was very different to mine; he smoked and never knowingly did any exercise. So， while the advice on heart-age-test sites is generally good， dont get too hung up on the figures; they are risk scores and dont necessarily predict what will happen to you. At least I hope not.

測算心脏年龄

也许你看着年轻，自我感觉也不老，但你的心脏有没有拖后腿呢？心脏年龄是一个反映心脏病与中风发病风险的概念。有些因素是你不能改变或控制的：比如变老、性别为男性（女性55岁以后发病风险开始赶上男性）以及有心血管疾病的家族史。也有一些因素是你能控制的：抽烟、锻炼、饮食与酒精摄入。同时还有一些潜在因素，它们虽不会引发病症，但会增加风险，比如高血压、高胆固醇和高血糖（糖尿病）。可以用一个简单的网络工具来测算心脏年龄，但是如果你知道自己的胆固醇水平和血压，计算结果会更加准确。

做健康检查

每一位年龄在40—74岁之间的英国公民都有权享受五年一次的健康检查，这项检查可以在全科医生诊所、药房进行，某些地区还可以在当地图书馆或购物中心的流动站点进行。75岁以上的公民则享有每年一次的检查。一般而言，40岁以下的人群发病风险较低，但如果他们的近亲在年轻时（男性亲属低于55岁，女性亲属低于65岁）曾有心脏病发作史或中风史，那他们也应该去找全科医生做检查。你可以买一个家用胆固醇检测仪，也可以在家测血压，但是咨询保健专业人士也是很有用的。

戒烟

至少三分之一的心血管疾病都可以归结为五个危险因素，按照它们的重要性排列如下：香烟、高血压、酒精、高胆固醇和肥胖。其他因素包括缺乏运动和蔬菜水果摄取不足的饮食习惯。所以戒烟就是第一步;这的确很艰难——尼古丁比海洛因的成瘾性更强——但如果你在乎自己的健康，戒烟将是一件最值得做的事情。每年英国有近一半的烟民尝试戒烟，但其中只有2%—3%的人能成功，所以最好接受你能得到的所有帮助。有证据显示，如果得到心理支持、采用尼古丁替代疗法以及靠处方药物控制烟瘾，戒烟成功的可能性会更大。

降低血压

理想的血压水平在90/60和120/80之间，如果持续超过140/90，则被视为高血压。血压值就是心脏向全身泵送血液时的压力与它舒张时压力的比值。当你变老、变胖、运动量减少、摄入更多酒精和食盐时，血压就会升高。你也许会有遗传的高血压倾向，所以即使你现在身材苗条、滴酒不沾、热衷运动且饮食健康，你也最好服用药物将血压维持在健康范围内。

足量运动直到大口喘气

每周两个半小时中等强度的体育锻炼可以把心血管疾病的发病风险降低三分之一。要达到中等运动强度，你需要感觉到全身变热而且心跳和呼吸加速。诸如快跑或高强度间歇训练一类的剧烈运动意味着你说话的时候必须停下来喘口气。任何强度的运动都比不运动要好，剧烈运动或许比慢悠悠的运动要好。公园跑是每周举办一次、每次跑步5公里的免费活动，英国490个公园里都有这类活动。进行锻炼的同时参与这些令人愉快的社区活动是有百利而无一害的。

增加有益胆固醇，减少有害胆固醇

胆固醇是一种存在于食物（比如肉类和奶制品）中的脂肪，它在肝脏中合成。在血液中循环的总胆固醇包括了低密度脂蛋白和高密度脂蛋白，前者会导致动脉堵塞，后者则起到保护动脉的作用。在理想状态下，总胆固醇应该低于5mmol/L，且低密度脂蛋白应该低于3mmol/L。但要想解读你的胆固醇水平，你需要考虑所有其他风险因素，这样才能得到一个整体的风险评分。如果风险评分较高，需要多参加体育锻炼，同时保持低胆固醇饮食。如果这些都不管用，可能需要服药，比如他汀类药物。

不要太在意心脏年龄，那只是个提示工具

我的心脏年龄显然比我的实际年龄要大八岁;我自己的各项评估良好，但我父亲在年轻时曾有过一次心脏病发作。而事实上他的生活方式跟我差别很大：他吸烟，而且从不刻意锻炼。所以，虽然心脏年龄测算网站上的建议大多是好的，也不要过分纠结于那些数值，它们只是风险评分，并不一定能预测将来发生在你身上的事。起码我希望它们不能。              □

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖选手）