For heart’s sake

Cardiovascular diseases are the world's leading cause of mortality, claiming an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, according to the World Health Organization.People are at high risk of developing heart disease irrespective of age. Our lifestyle choices have a significant impact on how healthy our hearts are. Heart disease can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle.

MAINTAIN AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE

Doctors say having a sedentary lifestyle leads to cardiac complications. To avoid this, they recommend exercising so that our hearts can pump adequate blood throughout the body and our heart functions accordingly.

Walking is a common type of exercise that is easy to continue and requires less effort than other forms of exercise such as yoga, aerobics, and pilates.

However, due to severe air pollution, heavy traffic, congested footpaths and a lack of open places like fields, walking is difficult in urban areas nowadays. Yet again, if one desires to be physically active, several options are available.

Many gyms and yoga centres are expanding rapidly in almost every corner of the city, which can help us maintain our health and keep our hearts active.

"We can prevent half of our health issues by doing exercises regularly," said Mina Chowdhury, the yoga instructor at Joysan Yoga Centre.

Many organisations conduct regular or weekly physical activity sessions such as yoga, walking and other exercises in both indoor and outdoor settings. People can join these initiatives alone or with friends to maintain their heart health.

WE ARE WHAT WE EAT

Unhealthy and unhygienic foods are among the leading causes of heart disease and people frequently consume them nowadays, according to Dr Deen Mohammad Anwarul Kabir, Associate Professor and Senior Consultant of cardiac surgery at the National Heart Foundation.

Besides, many prefer packaged food due to their busy lives and a majority of our population is ignorant about the negative consequences of these foods, he said.

"In Western society, they are used to junk food, but at the same time, they spend a considerable amount on physical exercise, which we are significantly lagging," he added.

In the last two decades, our society has greatly transformed due to rapid urbanisation. People, especially youths, are eating more meat than vegetables in urban areas. Nutritionists find that changing food habits is a growing concern for accelerating heart diseases.

"Red meats contain huge amounts of fat which is bad for the heart, especially for elderly people. But fish oil is perfect for the wellbeing of the heart and also one should keep vegetables in the diet at least on every alternative day," said Dr Md Akhtaruzamman, Professor of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science at Dhaka University.

For nearly two decades, the American Heart Association has recommended that people with coronary heart disease consume omega-3-fatty acids (the kinds of fatty acids found in fish and fish oil) to prevent another heart attack.

Therefore, reducing red meat in the diet chart and keeping fish could be a way out for a controlled, heart-friendly diet.

Nutritionists advise that a chapter on a healthy diet and eating habits be included in the elementary education level so that kids can learn it at a young age.

Apart from food-related issues, Dr Deen Mohammad put importance on giving up smoking, alcohol, salt and avoiding dust.

STOP IGNORING MENTAL HEALTH

Nowadays, people, regardless of age, face many psychological issues like depression, stress and anxiety that have a negative impact on heart health.

"What happens is that because of social stigma, many are hesitant to disclose their mental illness. This stands for a huge potential risk of heart attacks," said Dr Sayedul Ashraf Kushal , lead psychiatrist and MD of LifeSpring.

According to the American Cardiology Association, 30 per cent of heart diseases affect people under the age of 30, and 90 per cent of mental stress-related illnesses remain untreated, he added.

Additionally, Kushal pointed out that when under mental stress, our brains release a hormone called cortisol, which greatly affects the heart's ability to circulate blood. Everyone needs to be conscious of the possibility that mental stress could eventually result in heart disease.

So, to keep our heart healthy, we must maintain our mental well-being.