How The Heart Index Works

Five nutrients, one view

The Heart Index is a product-level nutrition assessment. Everyone sees the same result for the same product data. It does not use your health history, goals or daily food intake.

The calculation starts at 75. Sodium, saturated fat and added sugars can reduce the score; fiber and protein can increase it. The result is bounded between 0 and 100.

• Sodium: up to 30 points deducted; saturated fat: up to 30; added sugars: up to 35.
• Fiber: up to 15 points added; protein: up to 10.
• Percentage daily values use 2,300 mg sodium, 20 g saturated fat, 50 g added sugars, 28 g fiber and 50 g protein. These are the app algorithm reference values, not personal targets.
• Limiting contributions begin above 5% DV, reach half their budget at 20%, and their full budget at 40%. Positive contributions rise from zero at 5% to their maximum at 20%.

The serving matters

We use a supported labeled serving when available, otherwise the evidenced 100 g or 100 ml basis. Weight and volume are never treated as interchangeable. A nutrition-table toggle changes the displayed amounts, not the assessment basis.

A density adjustment of up to eight points prevents concentrated products from benefiting too much from tiny serving sizes. High limiting nutrient amounts can cap the result at 64 or 49. Standardized-basis assessments are capped at 69.

Unknown stays unknown

At least two values among sodium, saturated fat and added sugars are needed. Missing nutrients are shown as unavailable. Missing limiting values redistribute the penalty budget over the known limiting nutrients; missing positive values earn no credit. Limited assessments are capped at 84.

When total sugars are explicitly zero, the algorithm can derive zero added sugar for scoring. We label this derivation and leave the source’s added-sugar value unchanged.

Some products have no score

Basic items such as water and standalone ingredients or seasonings are better understood through the amount used. Missing serving units, ambiguous ingredient context or insufficient nutrition can also prevent an assessment. An unavailable score never means the product scored zero.

Reading the result

85–100 Excellent · 70–84 Good · 50–69 Fair · 30–49 Poor · 0–29 Very Low. These describe alignment with this nutrition model. A score is not a diagnosis, an individual dietary recommendation or proof that a product prevents disease.

Sources and version

Nutrition comes from the published Aure database; each product page identifies its available source and release. Heart Index V2 is adapted from the Clearheart product engine. The website adapter (aure-web-2) preserves unknown data and distinguishes standalone seasonings from flavor names. Source records and image permissions are separate from the score.