A 41-year-old who follows most of the guidelines for a healthy heart may have an actual biological age of 36. Then there’s the 53-year-old who doesn’t get enough sleep, doesn’t exercise regularly and has high levels of bad cholesterol who may actually have a biological age closer to 57, according to a new analysis presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association on Monday.
For those with BMIs higher than what is considered healthy, set a short-term goal of losing 3% to 5% of body weight.Control cholesterol levels. For most adults, an LDL level of less than 100 is recommended. For people at high risk — such as those who have already had a heart attack or stroke, or who have genetic forms of high cholesterol — an LDL level of less than 70 is recommended.Manage blood sugar.