‘Know your risk’; Unhealthy diets, smoking main causes

WORLD HEART DAY is an annual event that aims to increase public awareness of the threat of heart disease and stroke and the importance of a healthy lifestyle, so that children, adolescents and adults all over the world can live better, longer and healthy life. World Heart Day 2008 – “Know Your Risk” – is a call to action to help people understand their personal risk to cardiovascular disease, including hypertension (high blood pressure).

The “World Heart Day” is being held on Sept 28. Unhealthy diets, smoking and physical inactivity are the leading causes of heart disease and stroke. Any one of these risk factors, or a combination, can make you vulnerable to heart diseases and stroke. That is why World Heart Day 2008 focuses on helping you to identify your overall risk and to take action to control it.
In its ninth year, World Heart Day is run by the World Heart Federation’s member organizations in over 100 countries with many thousands of people expected to join this year. The World Heart Federation is a nongovernment organization based in Geneva Switzerland dedicated to the prevention and control of heart disease and stroke, with a focus on low and middle income countries. World Heart Day activities will include health checks, organized walks, runs and fitness sessions, public talks and sports tournaments.

Obesity
Globally, 22 million children under the age of five are obese and many more are overweight warns the World Heart Federation. The prevalence of obesity is rising at an alarming rate in both developed and less developed countries around the world. There are 400 million adults worldwide who are obese and 1.6 billion who are overweight. Children are getting fatter too. Worldwide, 155 million children are overweight, including 30-40 million obese children. Obesity levels have risen sharply across the globe. Even in those countries that have historically had lower rates of obesity, there is now evidence of increasing overweight. People have become fatter because increased calorie intake, in fact globally humanity is becoming more physically inactive. Being overweight raises the risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and stiff, clogged arteries, all risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
Risk factors for heart disease and stroke include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high glucose levels, smoking, inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity. Taken together, these major risk factors account for 80 percent of deaths from heart disease and stroke. A diet high in saturated fats and trans fats lead to abnormal blood liquids. Eating a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables promotes heart health. Low fruit and vegetable intake accounts for about 20 percent of cardiovascular disease worldwide.

High blood pressure or hypertension is the biggest single risk factor for heart disease and stroke and currently affects more than a billion worldwide. However by the year 2025 it is estimated more than 1.5 billion people or nearly one in three adults over the age of 25, will have high blood pressure. This is why this year’s World Heart Day is urging people to take action and visit their health-care professional to “Know Your Risk”. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A diet high in sodium increases the risk of developing hypertension. It has been estimated that a 3 gram reduction in a person’s dietary intake of salt would lead to a 50 percent reduction in the number of people needing treatment for hypertension. As heart disease and stroke are the world’s number one killer, causing 17.5 million deaths every year, eating half a teaspoon less of salt each day could save million of lives.

Avoiding foods high in salt, refraining from adding salt and being aware of the salt content of food in restaurants and processed foods, could potentially reduce salt consumption by 3 grams a day. Since the 60s the average daily calorie intake has increased across the globe. The consumption of foods high in fats and sweeteners is increasing throughout the developing world, while the share of cereals is declining, intake of fruits and vegetables remains inadequate. Commercially prepared food is higher in fat and sugar. The portions in fast food restaurants across the globe are 2 to 5 times larger than 2 decades ago. The consumption of chips/crackers/popcorn has tripled from mid 1970s to mid 1990s and soft drinks intake has doubled.

Unhealthy
If this trend in unhealthy lifestyles continues, children will be more likely to develop heart disease and stroke later in life, significantly reducing their life expectancy. “The World Heart Federation and its member societies in 100 countries are extremely concerned about the world-wide obesity pandemic and are actively encouraging action by the public, governments and industry to stop and reverse this trend. We must protect children from an environment that leads to obesity by teaching life-long healthy eating habits and limiting exposure to unhealthy food. Increasing levels of physical activity is also a priority as two thirds of children worldwide are insufficiently active for their health. Heart disease and stroke is the number one killer among adults in Kuwait. Lot of improvement has been made in the management of this disease.

Inauguration of new Chese Hospital with the latest technology in cardiovascular surgeries has started working. There is increase in the number of bypass surgeries along with cardiac catheterization. In spite of all this good management, reduction in the mortality and improvement in the quality of life among heart disease patients, more new case of heart disease are being seen especially among younger age group in Kuwait. More attention needs to be given for hypertension, diabetes and obesity among young people, along with lifestyle changes. We hold World Heart Day to encourage the our community to lead a healthier lifestyle by taking more physical exercise and reducing the risk of heart disease through smoke-free living, healthy nutrition and weight control, amongst other measures. Children and adolescents who have balanced, nutritious diets, exercise regularly and resist the pressure to start smoking should grow into fit, healthy adults.

On behalf of Kuwait Heart Foundation my advice for heart healthy families is:
* Increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and decrease sugar and salt intake, for example by limiting sweets, soft drinks and manufactured snacks and using less salt when cooking.


* Limit energy intake from fats and shift consumption away from saturated fats such as butter, palm and coconut oils to unsaturated fats such as spreads.


* Prepare meals that are well-balanced and high in nutrition and include whole grains, lean meat and fish.


* Make exercise a part of your life. Enjoy at least 30 minutes of activity that raises your heartbeat each day and encourage children to participate in sports groups.


* If you are a smoker, try to quit or avoid smoking in the presence of your children — allow them to live in a smoke-free environment. Discuss the impact of tobacco on health with your children before they are faced with making their own decisions about smoking and warn them about the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry.

By finding out your level of risk you are taking a simple but significant step towards living a longer and better life. The only way to know if you are at risk is to visit a health-care professional for a check-up. Heart disease and stroke cause the equivalent of more than one death every two seconds, as many as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and diabetes, all forms of cancer and chronic respiratory disease combined.
-"Arab Times"