Let’s focus more on our health this new year

Lifestyle-related diseases are finally the ones which are inviting cardiovascular problems secondary to diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity. And this is an epidemic now, and it’s there to stay permanently. As we are marching ahead to welcome 2023, it’s more relevant to include the mantras of good health.

With more celebrities dying in the gym doing exercises, it is more relevant to understand or ask this question -what’s wrong? Why, in general, are Indians getting more heart attacks at a young age?
For this, one needs to understand the “Wisdom of Hippocrates” – If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little or too much, we would have found the safest way to health.
Celebrity death makes the question all the more relevant as to why the younger population has become more vulnerable to heart diseases such as sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) and heart attacks. According to recent American Research, it has been observed that there is a 13% increase in sudden cardiac arrest among those aged the mid-30s to mid-40s.
Further, as per the Indian Heart Association, when heart disease strikes Indians, it tends to do so at an earlier age than other demographics, often without warning. The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that India accounts for one-fifth of all non-communicable diseases (NCD)-related deaths worldwide, most of which are from the younger population.

Heart attacks in Indian men
50% of heart attacks < 50 years old
25% heart attacks < 40 years old
Indian women also have high mortality rates from cardiac disease because they neglect themselves and present late.
(Source – Indian Heart Association)

Who is more vulnerable?
The vulnerable are mostly the young ones from the corporate fields and IT employees who work with foreign-US clients. We have sold farmlands, bought trendy cars, have skyscrapers, second houses, farmhouses and even private jets. Working from home, our targets have increased, and we work for longer hours-work during the night, which causes a lack of sleep. We don’t have time to exercise or follow a healthy diet. Lack of sleep causes hormonal imbalance, leading to obesity, collectively triggering diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
Indians have a greater genetic predisposition to heart diseases. This genetic transmission of cardiovascular disease is transmitted through the father’s side rather than the mother’s. Studies have found that Indians get heart diseases at least 10 years before people in the West (People get heart disease in their 60s in western countries, but our Indians are getting affected in their 40s and 50s). Another reason is that we Indians have smaller blood vessels than others elsewhere. In addition to risk factors like premature diabetes, obesity causes accelerated atherosclerosis. India has the maximum diabetes population now in the world!

When should one do a “Health Check Up”?
1) First-Pre-employment
2) Second-Around 40 years of age.
After that, the health check-up should be in consultation with the family physician or a specialist.

Indian diet – the real reason for being majorly on the wrong side of good health!
The highly overlooked nutrients in the Indian diet are proteins, vitamin D, and essential fatty acids such as omega 3 and omega 6. An average Indian consumes just 47 gm of protein daily—the lowest in the world. No Vitamin D-fortified food. The intake of ‘white’ foods -refined flour, white sugar, salt, and potato—has increased in recent years, making Indians more vulnerable to severe metabolic syndromes such as type 2 diabetes, CVDs, obesity, and hypertension. Ultra-processed foods—instant noodles, chips, pizza, burgers, fried chicken, pastry, cake, chocolate. Junk foods are cheap globally, but the ‘real cost’ of eating junk foods is not communicated to the general population.

Tips for a healthy life:
Diet: More proteins, fibres, fruits, and vegetables
Exercise: Outdoor Sports
Control Risk Factors: Stop consumption of tobacco, quit smoking, moderate alcohol consumption
Lifestyle Modification: Avoid CRAP (CARBONATED DRINKS/REFINED SUGARS/ARTIFICIAL/PACKED/PROCESSED), consume millet, and do timely health check-ups
I wish you all good health and a happy new year!

Dr. Vijay Surase
The writer is a senior consultant cardiologist at Jupiter Hospital.