A smartphone and 3 minutes are all you need to test your heart health

Can a quick workout and your phone reveal something about your heart health? Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School say yes, and they've built an app to prove it.

The 3 Minute Heart Health Test app is aiming to make checking your health something you can do in three minutes almost anywhere.

Joseph Metzger is a professor and the school's chair of physiology. His idea started with a simple question: How can people get meaningful information about their heart health without expensive tests or long appointments?

"I started to think about something that's quick, easy and really importantly, breaking down barriers to access," Metzger said.

Metzger teamed up with cardiologist Jeremy Van't Hof to create a free smartphone app that measures exactly how quickly your heart recovers after exercise.

They tested it with more than 250 people at the Minnesota State Fair, ranging from 18 to 90 years old.

"I think a couple of the key findings were that most people could navigate the app could get some data," Van't Hof said.

Data that show heart health and overall mortality.

"This is a very powerful, short-term test that's accessible, easy, fast and simple. I think it'd be great if this could be implemented into everybody's sort of fitness regimen," Van't Hof said.

Beyond individual results, the team hopes the data would eventually help identify communities that may need more health resources.

"I would like to see this in every high school in the state, every gym in the state, maybe even loan it out at the library," Metzger said.

The app is currently only available for Apple devices. The team plans to make it available to Android devices in the future.