Marker check · 4 questions
Heart health
Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, and its two loudest early warnings — high blood pressure and high cholesterol — are usually silent. Hypertension at 50 costs about five years of life; knowing your numbers matters almost as much as the numbers, because unmeasured risk can’t be treated. A low resting heart rate generally reflects good cardiovascular fitness.
The research
- Franco et al., Hypertension 2005 — hypertension at 50 ≈ −5y total life
- Prospective Studies Collaboration, Lancet 2007 — cholesterol and vascular mortality
- Jensen et al., Heart 2013 — resting heart rate as independent mortality predictor
- Lloyd-Jones et al., JAMA 2004 — parental premature CVD doubles risk