A new study reveals that many Americans are walking around with hearts biologically older than their actual age, with Black and Latino adults facing the steepest disparities. Researchers at Northwestern Medicine created an online “heart age” calculator that reframes cardiovascular risk into a more intuitive measure, based on blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, age, and sex.
The study, published in JAMA Cardiology, tested more than 14,000 adults with no history of cardiovascular disease. On average, women had a heart age four years older than their chronological age, while men’s hearts were about seven years older. But the gaps widened considerably in minority populations.
Black men showed a heart age 8.5 years older than their actual age, and Latino men trailed closely at 7.9 years. Among women, Black women had hearts aging 6.2 years ahead of their chronological age, compared with 4.8 years for Latinas, 3.7 for white women, and 2.8 for Asian women.
Education and income also played a role. Nearly one-third of men and nearly a quarter of women without education beyond high school had hearts at least a decade older than their true age.
“Many people who should be on medicine to lower their risk for heart attack, stroke or heart failure are not on these medications,” said study author Dr. Sadiya Khan. She hopes the new tool will encourage earlier prevention and better conversations between patients and providers.
See: “Your Heart May Be Older Than You!” (August 8, 2025)
