Can an online test really tell if you have a healthy heart?

A hear balloon

An unhealthy heart could put you at risk

Alexandra Ribeiro/EyeEm/Getty

Health chiefs in England this week launched an online “heart-age” test, which is claimed to reveal people’s risk of a heart attack or stroke. Public Health England (PHE) says that if a person’s heart is “older” than their age, they are at increased risk and should consider diet and lifestyle changes.

But critics say the test —which asks simple physical and lifestyle questions – could create unfounded alarm by basing estimates on incomplete data.

PHE says that of 1.9 million who have already tried the test, …