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Worried about your heart? Here's what you should be doing

We asked experts what worries them the most about people’s health from a cardiological perspective and what they should be doing about it.
Few days ago, it was World Heart Day on September 29. With the passage of time, there have been numerous technological advancements in the field of medical science. However, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases have been on the rise in recent years. We asked cardiology experts what worries them the most regarding people’s health and what is the need of the hour? Read on to know more...
What worries me the most as a cardiologist today, is the high incidence of heart attacks among young Indians between the age group of 25 to 40 years. They have young families to take care of, just getting settled in their jobs and this sudden blow of heart disease turns their lives upside down.- The reasons are stressful lifestyle, smoking, irregular eating time and wrong foods, long hours of work, late nights and lack of sleep. To add to this, they have no time for exercise, leading to bigger waistlines and obesity. Also, we have a metabolic tendency for diabetes and low HDL.
What is the need of the hour?- We need tests and preventive cardiovascular programs to detect vulnerable plaques to prevent risks of acute heart attacks.- Prevention is still the key with healthy lifestyle changes like exercise, meditation and yoga, low fat and low refined sugar diet, maintaining body weight and quitting smoking or chewing tobacco. Knowing your numbers and maintaining them is crucial to prevention of heart disease. Blood pressure should be 120/80, total cholesterol < 150, fasting blood sugar < 100, post meal blood sugar < 140. Yearly preventive cardiac checkup, control of risk factors like diabetes, hypertension
What is the need of the hour?- Stress and fast-paced life is taking a toll on Mumbai’s young population. We must learn to adapt to daily stress and ditch poor lifestyle habits, which are adding to the risk of heart diseases. Most cardiac patients have suffered stress. That also starts from a young age. For example, during school days, kids face peer pressure and that continues till their professional life. Apart from that kids are in a never ending race.