Health MOTs given to over-40s on the NHS really do 'slash the risk of heart disease': Scientists discover attendees are slimmer, less likely to smoke and have lower blood pressure years later

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Attending your doctor's surgery for a 'health MOT' really could protect you against heart disease, research suggests.

NHS England introduced the Health Check programme for adults aged 40 to 74 a decade ago.

Patients registered with a GP are invited to attend these 30-minute appointments every five years to monitor their risk of conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Critics have argued the checks are expensive, with research suggesting they do not protect against ill health or premature death.

However, a study of more than 450,000 people has found those who attend are slimmer, less likely to smoke and have lower blood pressure years later. 

Researchers, from King's College London and King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, claim the programme has the potential to 'reduce cardiovascular risk through early assessment and management'.

Health MOTs really could help protect patients against heart disease (stock)

'These results show the NHS Health Check programme carries a potential for reducing cardiovascular risk through the early assessment and management of risk factors,' lead author Dr Samah Alageel said.

'However, the programme could benefit from and should be supported with population-wide interventions to improve its outcomes.'

Heart disease is responsible for a quarter of all deaths in the UK and US, statistics show. 

'Modifiable' risk factors, such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and smoking, cause two-thirds of these fatalities, the researchers wrote in the journal PLOS Medicine.

This prompted the NHS to introduce its health check programme, which assesses a patient's risk of developing heart disease over the next decade.  

Personalised interventions, such as recommended lifestyle changes, are discussed to help those most at risk. 

The checks were described as 'ineffective' and accused of wasting £450 million ($547m) a year in a 2015 report by the London School of Economics and the University of Liverpool. 

And a 2014 review found that illnesses spotted during the checks could be 'equally well detected' in standard care. 

Uptake has also been lower than expected, with less than half of people attending appointments in most areas of England, the researchers wrote.

To better understand the programme's benefits, the team analysed 127,891 people who had a health check between 2010 and 2016.

The attendees were compared against 322,910 'controls' who turned down an invite to an appointment.

Results revealed those who attended were five times more likely to receive weight management advice.

They were also three times more likely to be guided on how to quit smoking. 

And their use of statins, which lower 'bad cholesterol' in the blood, was 24 per cent higher. 

Six years after the check up, just 17 per cent of the participants smoked, compared to 25 per cent of the controls. 

And there were other 'small magnitude changes', which the participants managed to 'sustain'. 

Six years after the check up, those who attended lost an average of 0.3kg/m². Blood pressure and cholesterol was also reduced by up to 1.43mmHg and 0.05mmol/L, respectively. 

'While net changes in risk factor values were generally of small magnitude these were sustained for up to six years following the health check', the authors wrote.

'And the cumulative impact of these changes could be of public health importance across the population at risk.'

Previous research suggests uptake of health checks is worst among those who are at greatest risk of heart disease. 

Reaching out to patients 'opportunistically' may target more at-risk people than inviting them to attend via invitation, the researchers wrote. 

Professor Martin Gulliford, of the school of population health and environmental sciences at King's College London, added: 'People who take up a health check may be healthier than controls but are more likely to receive risk factor interventions. 

'Reductions in risk up to six years following a health check may be of public health importance but we need to be sure these benefits are shared by those most at risk.' 

Professor Jamie Waterall, Public Health England's national lead for the NHS Health Check programme, said: 'Cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke are among the biggest causes of early death and ill-health in England, but most cases are preventable. 

'That's why the NHS Health Check programme is so important as it helps identify who is at risk and, more importantly, what they can do about it. 

'Public Health England is working hard to support every council to provide these vital checks for people aged 40 to 74 years old.' 

Matt Kearney, national clinical director for cardiovascular disease prevention at NHS England, added: 'The free NHS health check can save lives and anyone who's eligible should take up the opportunity as it will help them understand and reduce the risk of killer conditions like heart attack and stroke. 

'The NHS long term plan sets out a package of improvements to early diagnosis, treatment and support which will save thousands more lives, supported by billions of pounds of extra investment.'