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Heart disease warning

By Carla Bevan on Wednesday 5 March 2008

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Heart

If we didn't have enough to worry about with stress causing us to look old before our time, now we discover it's ageing our hearts, too.

A new survey claims many Brits have hearts that are five years 'older' than the rest of their bodies, simply due to the daily stresses of modern-day life.

'There is absolutely a heart disease time-bomb. Everything we should be doing, people are doing the reverse,' says Chris Frost of Lloyds Pharmacy, which carried out the survey.

'With longer working hours, many people grab takeouts. They tend to eat later in the evenings and don't exercise as much.

'Because of high levels of income, people eat more and so put weight on, and drink more because alcohol is more accessible.'

Smokers are at an even greater risk, with female smokers' hearts around 14 years older than the rest of their body.

Four out of every ten deaths in Britain is due to cardiovascular disease.

'Every two minutes in Britain, someone has a heart attack and millions are at risk of developing heart disease within the next ten years,' Lloyds Pharmacy director, Any Murdock, notes.

'The good news is that there is a lot that can be done to reduce risk.

'The important thing is to identify people who have an elevated risk and help them alter their lifestyle.

'Many still don't realise the risk of heart disease can be reduced by taking some simple steps such as eating a balanced diet, keeping active and stopping smoking.'