Most of us are old-not young--at heart.

• Position: CDC

Your heart may be older than you are--and that is not good. According to a Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga., three out of four U.S. adults have a predicted heart age that is older than their actual age. This means they are at higher risk for heart attacks and stroke. "Fleart age" is the calculated age of a person's cardiovascular system based on his or her risk-factor profile. The risks include high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes status, and body mass index as an indicator for obesity.

This is the first study to provide population-level estimates of heart age and to highlight disparities in heart age nationwide. The report shows that heart age varies by race/ ethnicity, gender, region, and other sociodemographic characteristics.

CDC researchers used risk factor data collected from every U.S. state and information from the Framingham Heart Study to determine that nearly 69,000,000 adults between ages 30-74 have a heart age older than their actual age. That is about the number of people living In the 130 largest U.S. cities combined.

"Too many U.S. adults have a heart age years older than their real age, increasing their risk of heart disease and stroke," says CDC Director Tom Frieden. "Everybody deserves to be young--or at least not old--at heart."

Overall, the average heart age for adult men is eight years older than their chronological age, compared to five years older for women. Although...