Everything you need to know about iHeart, the device that can tell you your internal age

Everyone knows their biological age, but is that the best way to assess your real age? How often do you hear people say that they feel twice their age, or “like an old man”?

You have also likely encountered people who are young but act as though they were old, or people who are just “young at heart.” Some people age well, others don’t. Some people look young for their age and others look older than they are. What we are getting at is that looks and biological age can be deceiving.

Enter iHeart, a tiny device that can tell you how old your body really is by measuring your physiological age. Developed by a Vancouver-based company named VitalSine, the device provides people with insight into what is happening in their bodies.

Device developer and medical doctor, Dr. Jess Goodman, explains the overall purpose and concept for iHeart:

“We are dedicated to helping people understand what’s happening in their bodies and how they can optimize health, naturally. Our goal is to help motivate people to change for the better, and by doing so improve their health and life in general.”

How it works

iHeart is unobtrusive and simple to use. The device simply clips on to your finger to take a reading for 30 seconds, and relays your health information to your smartphone or tablet using Bluetooth technology.

The device measures your finger’s pulse wave. Your pulse wave is determined by the stiffness of your aorta, the body’s largest artery, which stiffens naturally with age. However, poor habits can speed up this process, causing us to age prematurely.

Why measure aortic stiffness? It is a strong indication of your overall health, and it helps to provide insight into your internal age. The iHeart website cites numerous studies that support the importance of measuring aortic pulse wave velocity and aortic stiffness to determine your internal age.

Why might you want to use it?

Even though iHeart is NOT a medical device, it can provide you with some insight about the choices you are making in your life. It is intended to be used for personal health and wellness, and you can use your first reading as a starting point to measure the state your physiological health.

Depending on your current health, you may or may not like the results, but they can provide you with a good indication about your current health and may even inspire you to make positive changes in your life!

Benefits of iHeart

Since your physiological age varies and is dynamic, you can use iHeart to track your internal age over time.

Benefits include:

• Getting instant feedback about the effects of your actions your health
• Simple tracking of the overall state of your health
• More insight about what is happening in your body
• Instant data about your pulse waves and heart rate
• Easy monitoring of how exercise and other actions impact your body

Disclaimer: Ontario Blue Cross is providing this blog for information purposes only. References made to any third-party products, services or professional associations do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by Ontario Blue Cross.