"AH, there you are, Leadbetter," said the editor, cordially.
"Unusual to see you at your desk. Now look, I've got a job for you for tomorr -" He broke off. "What on earth are you doing?"
He had caught me in the act of pressing a fingertip onto a lancet so that blood was drawn. "Actually," I said, "I'm just testing my cholesterol."
"Why are you doing that when you should be working?" he sighed. "Never mind. I'll get someone else to do the story."
I'd bought the testing kit for an online NHS questionnaire. It tells you whether your heart's age is higher or lower than your biological age and outlines your chances of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years. I was reluctant to do it. What if I learned I had a really high risk of a heart attack in the next decade? Frantically look out that bucket list and complete it as rapidly as I could?
Some critics say the test is a "blunt tool", but the organisations behind it insist that it helps people to see the "direct impact" that lifestyle changes can have on their heart's health: "Knowing your risk of developing heart and circulatory disease is crucial to taking control of your health."
I did the test without knowing my cholesterol count or blood pressure, so my resulting heart age (66, hmmm) was just an estimate, based on the national average. I had a 12.3% risk of a heart attack or stroke in the next decade; on average, someone like me could expect to live to 78 without suffering either. I hate the sight of blood, especially my own, but decided that a cholesterol test might be a good idea. If I did the test correctly, my cholesterol count seems to be satisfactory. (If I didn't, which seems likely, I have just wasted 12 quid.)
I re-do the test; my heart age is an estimated 58 (or between 56 and 59, depending on blood pressure). I have a 7.1% risk of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years. "On average," the results page says, "someone like you can expect to live to the age of 81 without having a heart attack or stroke." Plenty of time, then, to devise a bucket list - unless fate has other plans in mind. In the meantime, I'll ask the editor if I can get the cholesterol test on expenses. I'm sure he'll go for it.
* Find the test by Googling 'NHS heart age test'. Good luck.
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