Wednesday, October 7, 2009

World Heart Day special: Follow the right lifestyle


If you want to save your heart from getting damaged, better start eliminating the risk factors early. Ignoring them might convert into chronic heart disease (CHD) that may be difficult to treat in the latter part of your life. They may even paralyse your normal routine activities. This statutory warning and precautionary note has come from senior cardiologists in the region on the eve of World Heart Day (falling on Sunday) this year. While the health experts have advocated the need for better heart care starting from childhood, life style factors, including dietary habits, are emerging as serious factors affecting the functioning of the blood-pumping organ in the body. According to the world-renowned cardiologists, the dietary habits are becoming important indicator for determining the functioning of one of the most important organs in the body. Apart from genetic factors (hereditary traits), the heart diseases are fast becoming life style diseases affecting people belonging to different age groups, researchers said. The heart diseases with their manifestations are affecting people of all age groups, no matter what place they come from. It starts with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in young children and adolescents (between 5-15 years) and may take the form of CHD, hypertension and cerebrovascular stroke (heart attack) in middle-aged people. However, most of the health experts have given a strong call for change in life style and dietary habits that could minimise the risk factors to a great extent and save the heart. Regular physical activity and judicious selection of diet can bring an amazing change in the normal functioning of the heart besides oiling it to prepare for future degeneration in later part of life. Inclusion of green vegetables and fruits and fibres in the diet can decrease the risk factors. Similarly, avoiding junk food, alcohol and tobacco consumption (cigarettes) also boosts the functioning of the heart, specialists said.

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