Protect your ticking timebomb

It is the most important part of the body but it is also the last thing people worry about until it's too late. Heart disease is no longer an "old man's problem". Increasing numbers of fortysomethings, particularly men, are facing a variety of conditions - from heart murmurs to blocked veins, and some young people are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to guarding against disease.

Peter Southall, 33, has been for regular tests at GP surgeries for 10 years to check if he is at high risk of heart disease, which killed his mother, Barbara, at 40. He was consistently given the all-clear until he had a new test - not available on the NHS - that showed that he too was in line to die young.

"My wife Sara is a naturopath and last year she suggested I have a new kind of heart disease risk assessment, rather than a simple cholesterol test from my GP.

"She knew I'd go for it. If your mum drops dead at 40 then you've got to be aware that the same thing could happen to you."

The £75 home kit contained a device for pricking your finger and instructions on how to collect and dispatch your two-drop blood sample to be professionally tested at the company's labs for the amino acid-like substance homocysteine, which is present in blood.

High levels of homocysteine are now considered one of the most important risk factors leading to the development of heart disease, yet unlike their counterparts in many other European countries, British GPs do not offer these tests to people who have not yet had a significant "coronary event".

"I had never heard of homocysteine as a heart disease marker, and it was never mentioned to me by any of the GPs I've had - otherwise I would probably have had this test years ago," says Peter.

Around a week after he sent off his sample, Peter received the results in the post. His levels were abnormally high for his age at 14.2, a result which is more normal for an unhealthy person in their sixties. The accompanying letter advised him to take immediate action to improve his diet and make lifestyle changes, as well as going to see his GP immediately.

Left unchecked, a high homocysteine result could have been very dangerous for someone with Peter's history. And the results have proved to be the impetus he needed to change his lifestyle. Since the test last November, he has taken radical steps to bring his homocysteine levels down and reduce his risk of a heart attack.

"I have started eating oatmeal porridge and cereal for breakfast for the first time, and we're eating lots of vegetarian evening meals which Sara cooks. I have started walking to our local overground station and then on to the office at the other end - around 30 minutes each way - instead of using the company's pool cars.

"And I'm really making an effort to walk more and take supplements designed to lower my homocysteine levels like vitamins B6 and B12.

"Though I was reasonably active in my schooldays - I ran for the school and so on and I still love cycling - I knew I didn't exercise as much as I should, and I didn't have the best diet in the world, so I'm trying to transform my life. Now, to be on the safe side, my wife takes my blood pressure and pulse every two months or so, to check I am all right. Personally, I don't think you can ever be too careful.''

Recognise the signs

Where to get heart disease tests

Around 100,000 people in the UK have inherited high cholesterol (hyperlipidaemia) without realising it, as they may not have symptoms. This means they could have a heart attack in their thirties or forties without any warning and are 100 times less likely to survive an attack than other people.

It is always worth contacting your GP or Heart UK (www.heartuk.org.uk) for advice about getting a cholesterol test. Even if your cholesterol levels are normal, do consider having a homocysteine check privately. Peter used the Homocysteine Test, £75, from Yorkest. It has just launched a combined cholesterol and homocysteine test for £89.50. Contact: 0800 074 6185.

Dr Robert Superko, director of the American Cholesterol, Genetics and Heart Disease Institute, and author of Before the Heart Attacks: A Revolutionary Way of Detecting, Preventing or Even Reversing Heart Disease (Rodale, £12.99), believes in testing genetically-prone people with eight new specialised blood tests, including homocysteine. For example, one of the tests, the C-reactive protein, picks up on your body's level of inflammation, now thought to be linked to heart disease, and can spot people at risk whose cholesterol is normal.

These tests cost from around £200 and are available from the London Diabetes and Lipid Centre (020 7636 9901) or the Diagnostic Clinic (020 7009 4650).

For advice on some of the issues faced by heart attack victims with young families, visit www.peoplelikeus.btinternet.co.uk.