Heart Disease : No Longer an Age Problem
Heart Diseases Rampant among Youngsters Today!
On the occasion of World Heart Day, we discuss how youngsters today are no longer safe from heart problems!
Just look at the facts:
Every day, 900 Indians under the age of 30 die of heart attack, according to a Trinity Hospital Study from 2013!
As young as 21-year-olds are suffering cardiac arrest in the nation, an indication that an increasing number of people are vulnerable to heart diseases!
One of the most ignored signals of a heart problem is belly fat! The major reason being limited awareness about the dangers associated with the deposition of fat in the abdomen area. Around 85 percent of people at risk of heart disease due to belly fat do not consider it a risk, according to a study conducted in 2018 on 837 residents across the major metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Lucknow.
How to know if you are ‘At-Risk’?
The following are some key factors to check if you could be an At-Risk individual for heart diseases:
- Consuming Junk Food at least once a week: Consuming refined calories once a week regularly increases the bad cholesterol levels of your body. This can then further lead to blockages across arteries leading to multiple heart issues
- Consuming Outside Food at least once a week: Similar to consuming refined calories, generally all outside food has bad oils used in the preparation (refined oils) which can also cause multiple problems
- Professionals who put in long hours at work: Most professionals putting in long hours at work with limited or no physical movement are also at a greater risk of having heart problems
- Individuals sleeping less than 6 hours a day: Sleep is extremely important as it allows the body to cleanse itself of all toxins and purifies the blood. Skipping on sleep or reduced sleeping hours generally mean that the body is unable to complete these vital functions and further puts it at risk of developing heart-related complications
- Maintaining your belly: The cut-off for having belly fat is 90 centimeters for men and 85 centimeters for women. Multiple studies show that belly measurement more than these mean that the body has a higher chance of succumbing to a heart problem!
Any individual fitting in with more than 4 out of these 5 factors can be classified as at-risk of developing heart complications at different stages of their lives. Since most of these habits are rampant amongst newly working professionals, that puts most of them in the at-risk category!
How to maintain a Healthy Heart!
Following the guidelines below can go a long way in helping youngsters maintain a well functioning heart!
- Limiting consumption of Junk Foods: Proactively limiting your consumption of junk foods can go an extremely long way in helping you maintain a healthy heart! Most junk foods are nothing but empty calories which not only lead to heavy weight gain in the body but also develop severe complications for the heart.
- Maintaining Movement at work: Maintain a simple mantra for work – For every 1 hour of work that you do sitting, walk around for 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes for every hour is enough for your body to avoid problems for your heart!
- Limiting Outside Food: Try and consume home cooked food for all your meals through the day. This limits your consumption of oils used by food vendors outside hence helping you with your health
- Maintain Strict Sleeping Hours: Maintain a good work schedule such that you always have ample time for sleeping. As stated earlier, sleeping is very important for the body to detoxify itself and sleeping for a minimum of 6 hours is vital for the body to perform the required functions!