The policies championed by Prof Boyle in the UK were instrumental in halving deaths due to heart disease over an eight-year period. Whilst acknowledging the differences in healthcare systems between India and the UK, he believes that many of the policies for which he was responsible for implementing in the UK could also be applied here to significant effect. Most importantly, medical professionals need to engage government at both a national and local level to agree on a concerted plan of action for both the prevention and treatment of heart disease.

 There should also be good quality data monitoring put in place to accurately track its success. Prevention of heart disease needs to be achieved through promoting the adoption of more healthy lifestyles (a diet involving less fat and more fibre; increased amounts of exercise; less tobacco chewing); and routine screening of everyone over 40 with suspected risk factors (a family history of heart disease; overweight; high blood pressure; high cholesterol). Treatment of established heart disease needs to include effective lowering of both blood pressure and cholesterol, which could be cost-effectively achieved with the use of relatively cheap generic drugs.

 ‘India is facing a tsunami of heart disease in the very near future unless effective action is taken to reduce both the prevention and treatment of this condition over the long term’, commented Prof Boyle. ‘Quite a apart from the human cost, this makes a lot of sense economically: in the UK, the cost of effectively promoting the concept of lifetime risk assessment has proved to be only a fifth of the resulting savings due to improved economic productivity and reduced chronic treatment plus social care costs.’ Professor Boyle has been supported on his visit to India with an educational grant from Biosensors International, a global medical device company specialising in interventional cardiology.

They found that the more green tea or coffee people drink, the lower their stroke risks, reports Science Daily. ‘The regular action of drinking tea and coffee, largely benefits cardiovascular health because it partly keeps blood clots from forming,’ Kokubo said. Tea and coffee are the most popular drinks in the world after water, suggesting that these results may apply in other countries too. It’s unclear how green tea affects stroke risks. A compound group known as catechins may provide some protection. Catechins have an antioxidant anti-inflammatory effect, increasing plasma antioxidant capacity and anti-thrombogenic (anti-clotting) effects.

Some chemicals in coffee include chlorogenic acid, thus cutting stroke risks by lowering the chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Further research could clarify how the interaction between coffee and green tea might help further lower stroke risks, Kokubo said.

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Source: IANS

What is HIIT?  

The regime is based on a study in 1996 by a Japanese professor named Izumi Tabata who used it on Olympic speedskaters who were divided into two groups. The HIIT group did 20 seconds of ultra-intensive exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest and continued this cycle continued for 4 minutes. The other group followed their regular steady state exercise regime. At the end of the study, the group that was undergoing the HIIT regime were in better athletic condition than the other group. Since then, HIIT has been a rage with both athletes to improve their performance and regular gym-goers to lose fat and bulk up.

Read: Supercharge your cardio workout

Benefits of HIIT

Spend less time at the gym: Takes far less time than a slow, steady cardio regime and you can get far better results. A study in Scotland even found that 150 seconds (two and a half minutes) of HIIT was better for your heart and losing calories than 90 minutes of moderate walking/jogging!

Burn more fat:  Various studies have shown that performing HIIT exercise for the same duration is far more beneficial than a steady state workout when it comes to burning fat. Also people who undergo HIIT exercises tend to have a higher metabolism and their bodies continue to burn fat even after they’ve stopped working out. Also unlike normal cardio which causes uniform muscle loss, HIIT doesn’t burn off lean muscle and only targets fat of the stubborn kind.

Better for your general health: Studies have shown the benefits HIIT has towards heart health and even reducing the risk of diseases like diabetes. A study in Ontario, Canada found that two weeks of modified HIIT training prompted the creation of far more cellular proteins involved in energy production and oxygen. The training also improved the volunteers’ insulin sensitivity and improved blood sugar levels reducing people’s susceptibility to type 2 diabetes.

Read: How our Bollywood hunks keep in shape

Burn fat in stubborn place: If you ever take a look at hobbyist long distance runners you’ll realise that a few of them tend to sport generous bellies. This is because low-slow distance training doesn’t attack the stubborn fat areas – bellies for men and thighs and hips for women. HIIT on the other hand helps get rid of the fat from trouble areas.

How to do HIIT

You can incorporate HIIT in all your exercise regimes and most gym machines have the option to switch from high-intensity to low intensity. The first thing you should keep in mind is you should warm-up before you attempt it. Say you’re using a treadmill and want to incorporate a HIIT regime. Here’s what you do:

• First warm-up for a period of 3-5 minutes at normal pace
• Pick the interval option on your treadmill to switch from jog to run (similar options are available on elliptical machines and stationery bikes as well)
• Keep the low intensity speed around 6-8kmph and high intensity one at 10-15 kmph depending on your level of fitness
• You should begin with a high-low ratio of 1:2. If you run for 1 minute, walk for a period of 2 minutes.
• Continue this for at least fifteen minutes or five rounds of high-low.

You can try similar exercises on the elliptical, stationery cycle and rowing machine. The trick is that you should continue to push yourself. If you start to feel comfortable increase the speed/resistance, if you’ve hit the maximum speed/resistance then try to increase your high to low ratio until you hit 2:1 ratio. Try this for a month and you’ll see the benefits yourself.

Read: Ten tips for a healthier heart

The study involved 106 teenagers from an urban, inner-city Vancouver high school who were split into two groups, a group that volunteered regularly for 10 weeks and a group that was wait-listed for volunteer activities, according to the Daily Mail. Researchers measured the students’ body mass index (BMI), inflammation levels which affect heart’s health and cholesterol scores before and after the study. The volunteer group of students spent one hour per week working with elementary school children in after-school programmes in their neighbourhood. After 10 weeks they had lower levels of inflammation and cholesterol and lower (body mass index) BMIs than the students who were wait-listed.  Schreier said: ‘It was encouraging to see how a social intervention to support members of the community also improved the health of adolescents.’

Do you the symptoms of a heart attack? Check out our symptom search. 

Source: IANS

A 2010 Lancet paper on the Burden of Disease in India found that Indians are the most vulnerable group to cardiovascular diseases in the world! A genetic mutation combined with unhealthy lifestyles is responsible for this shocking fact and increase of a number of lifestyle diseases like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc. Most cardiovascular or heart ailments are caused by arterial wall thickening due to accumulation of fatty materials like cholesterol. While there’s nothing we can do about genetic mutation, there are a number of things we can do to control the lifestyle factors that cause heart disease. 

Kick the butt

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)estimates that smoking increases the chance of suffering from a coronary heart disease by two to four times by reducing blood circulation due to narrowed arteries. Scarily, 92 million out of India’s 285 million smokers don’t even know that it’s bad for their heart. Along with cardiovascular diseases smoking is responsible for other diseases like cancer as well and affects almost every organ in the body. And if that’s still not enough impetus to quit smoking, consider the fact that second hand smoke kills 600,000 people every year out of which 100,000 are children and 87% of deaths due to second hand smoke are due to cardiovascular diseases. So kick the butt now, if not for yourself then for your near and dear ones whom you’re exposing to second hand smoke.

Various techniques to quit smoking

Drink moderately

Alcohol’s effect on the heart is hotly debated. Numerous studies have found that people, who drink moderately, actually have better cardiovascular health than people who don’t drink or those who dod excessively. Moderate means either 330ml of beer, 60ml of hard liquor or 100ml of wine. However, others have debunked these results claiming that there isn’t even a way to define moderate and such revelations could lead to misunderstanding and increased drinking. What is not debatable is the fact that excessive drinking is tied to various cardiovascular issues like obesity, high blood pressure and increased risk to coronary artery disease. Binge drinking (drinking excessively in a short amount of time) too is linked to poor cardiovascular health. 

Work up a sweat

Our current sedentary lifestyle has played a major part in the rise of cardiovascular diseases around the world. Lack of exercise leads to build-up of bad cholesterol which prevents the blood from flowing freely and causes hypertension, heart attacks, etc. Exercising plays a very important role in your cardiovascular health. It facilitates weight loss, lowers blood pressure, increases your good ‘cholesterol’ level, improves blood circulation and allows your heart to pump more efficiently. In fact it helps reduce stress also by releasing feel good hormones called endorphins!

Click here to read about cardio exercises that are good for your heart!

Sleep properly

It’s been suggested in jest that Thomas Edison’s light bulb is responsible for the current obesity pandemic. While that would be stretching the truth a bit too much, the fact remains that our current work-play around the clock routine does have a hand in the various lifestyle diseases. It has been suggested that initially our body’s internal clock was adapted to the natural day-light schedule and exposure to artificial light has thrown it off-track. This has also led to various kinds of sleep disorders which in turn impacts your appetite causing obesity, glucose metabolism and increases blood pressure. It’s a vicious cycle really and getting enough sleep is very important to keep heart disease at bay.

Read how to deal with insomnia or sleep disorders

 Reduce intake of saturated and trans-fats

They are basically two kinds of fats – saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are present in food items like butter, red meat, dairy products, chocolates, etc. and are known to raise ‘LDL’ or bad cholesterol levels and most dieticians recommend limiting their intake. Trans-fats are unsaturated fats which have the same effect. Manufactured food items usually contain a lot of trans-fats and that’s why nutritionists suggest avoiding them.

Load up on unsaturated and omega 3 fatty acids

Unsaturated fats are of two types – mono-unsaturated (olive oil, nuts, peanut oil) and poly-unsaturated (sesame, cottonseed and soya bean oils). Both types of unsaturated fats are known to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) levels and boost up good cholesterol levels. Many dieticians suggest switching to olive oil, rice  bran oil or other healthier oils. Omega 3 fatty acids are poly-saturated fats which are considered essential because they can’t be manufactured by the human body and are present in marine and plant oils. Good sources include fish oils, milk compounds, flax seeds and nuts.

Take it easy

It’s still not clear how stress causes heart disease. Most experts concede that its part of a snowball effect of obesity, blood pressure, heart disease, smoking, lack of exercise, insomnia, etc. All the aforementioned conditions seem to go hand in hand with stress and that’s why taking it easy is imperative for your heart. Take up a hobby, play with your children or take up meditation – anything that will keep stress at bay.

Click here to find out how stress, hormones and your health are linked.

Reduce salt and sugar intake

While moderate intake of salt is necessary, too much is linked to various cardiovascular ailments, particularly hypertension. Most people end up consuming a lot of salt without actually realising it, because they aren’t actually separately adding table salt to their food. Food items like bread, butter or packaged noodles might not taste salty but play a part in increasing your salt intake.

Sugar on the other hand is an infamous culprit. Experts believe that the easy availability of sugar is fuelling the global obesity pandemic because we are naturally geared to seek it for the glucose – our primary source of energy which was earlier available only through natural sources like fruits. The only solution is to cut down on sugar intake by limiting – cakes, milk shakes, sweets, sweetmeats, fizzy drinks, cookies and ice-cream – pretty much everything your heart desires is bad for it.

Load up on veggies and fruits

There’s compelling evidence to suggest that people who eat more greens and fruits significantly lower their bad cholesterol levels and this also improves their digestive system and metabolism allowing the body to function better. Most dieticians would tell you that you should get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables in a day (400 grams) in a day.

Get regular check-ups

There is no alternative to being well informed. Get regular tests to check your cholesterol levels, blood pressure and the ECG test. Doctors suggest that one should start getting checked either after turning 30. People who experience symptoms like chest pain, irregular heartbeats, shortness of breath, dizziness or discomfort shouldn’t delay meeting a doc. 

Everybody knows that exercise is important for healthy living. But since everybody is made differently, different forms of exercise help different body types. Ever wonder what kind of a workout helps your heart? Watch this video to find out what our Expert Dr. Surase, a leading cardiologist has to say about exercises for your heart health. 

“In the next five to 10 years around 20 percent of the Indian population would be affected,” he added. Atul Mathur, director of Invasive Cardiology at Fortis Escorts Heart institute, said that patients under the age of 40 have increased from 10 percent a decade ago to 30 percent today. ”This is a perturbing development… A drastic change in lifestyle and food habits is needed,” Mathur told IANS.

According to doctors, many of the young professionals today have odd working hours that leads to stress, and not many of them have the privilege of savouring home cooked meals. On top of it, the indulgence in smoking and drinking to “reduce the stress” worsens the situation. Such a lifestyle results in high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, etc. leading to heart ailments.

“Smoking, eating junk food and less physical exercise are the evils that are severely affecting our youth today. On top of it the pressure at work which in many cases leads to drinking and smoking also complicates the situation,” Kamaldeep Singh, consultant cardiologist at Gurgaon-based Columbia Asia Hospital, told IANS.

According to Singh, the focus should be on how to educate youngsters to lead a healthy lifestyle. The doctors said that efforts should be made to stop leading an unhealthy lifestyle which may lead to a cardiovascular disease later. The education and guidance should begin early.Physical exercise, avoiding junk and oily food and not smoking are some of the steps that must be adopted by people, say the doctors.

“Stress is a part of life today and you can’t avoid it, but half an hour of walk or exercise at home or office, five days a week can do wonders,” Rishi Gupta, director, Cardiology, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, told IANS.

World Heart Day was created in 2000 to inform people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year and the numbers are rising.

By 2030, it is expected that 23 million people will die from CVDs annually.

Together with its members, the World Heart Federation spreads the news that at least 80 percent of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke could be avoided if the main risk factors, tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, are controlled.

According to research smokers show an earlier onset of menopause by two years as compared to non-smokers. Astonishingly, an average Indian female smokes more cigarettes a day than their male counterparts. An average Indian woman is taking to smoking at 17.5 years as against 18.8 years among men. Dr Vaidya said the association holds true in patients from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds and is independent of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors.

The doctor says that their results suggest it is important to avoid early menopause if at all possible. Notably, the researchers said, their findings about the negative impact of early menopause were similar whether the women reached it naturally or surgically like removal of reproductive organs. Often, women who undergo hysterectomies have their ovaries removed and that precipitates rapid menopause. According to physicians ovary removal should be avoided in more instances.

Data from 2,509 women aged between 45 and 84 was examined — all enrolled between 2000 and 2002 and followed until 2008. The survey revealed 28% reported early menopause, or menopause that occurs before the age of 46. Vaidya emphasizes that although the risk of heart attack and stroke was doubled in these groups, the actual number of cardiac and stroke events recorded among study participants was small. Only 50 women in the study suffered heart events, while 37 had strokes.

Menopause is a process during which a woman’s reproductive and hormonal cycles slow down, her periods (menstruation) eventually stop, ovaries stop releasing eggs for fertilization and produce less estrogen and progesterone, and the possibility of pregnancy ends. A natural event, which takes place in most women in the 45-55 age group, of menopausal onsets and rates are influenced by a combination of factors, including heredity, smoking, diet and exercise.

Cardiovascular disease processes and risks start very early in life, even though the heart attacks and strokes happen later. Unfortunately, young women are often not targeted for prevention because cardiovascular disease is thought to be only attacking women in old age. What our study reaffirms is that managing risk factors when women are young will likely prevent or postpone heart attacks and strokes when they age. The main preventable reason for early menopause (in some countries and in some parts of the Indian population) is smoking. However, for the vast majority of women in developing countries, the reason for early menopause is poor nutrition during early life and young adulthood. Poor social/economic status women have early menopause.

To a young woman ,good nutrition is key because the women will have a longer reproductive life and also lesser heart disease and stroke in old age. For women who smoke: quitting will do both, give a longer reproductive life and also lesser heart disease and stroke in old age. For women who are already older, if they have had early menopause, they should be extra vigilant in improving their lifestyle, exercise before heart disease happens. Greater care should be taken in controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

 Academic Stuart Gray asked a group of men aged between 18 and 35 to either do high-intensity sprints on an exercise bike, or walk for half an hour on a treadmill. Those on the exercise bike pedalled as hard as they could for 30 seconds, rested for up to four minutes and then repeated the pattern four times. This meant that, in all, they did two and a half minutes of exercise strenuous enough to make them sweat and leave them out of breath.

 The others walked at the sort of brisk pace recommended by most conventional health experts and doctors. A day later, they came back into the lab and ate a fatty breakfast and lunch consisting of bread, mayonnaise and cheese – a proper high-fat meal. 

After this they underwent a blood test to see how quickly the levels of fat in their blood fell – fat lingering in the blood after eating is known to trigger a series of invents that leads to arteries clogging and heart disease. The results revealed that walking cut fat by 11%, compared with not doing any exercise. But the short sharp bursts of exercise cut it by 33% – the sort of effect expected from a 90-minute run.  

Dr Gray, of Aberdeen University, believes short bursts of intensive exercise may somehow spur the liver into taking in more fat from the blood, before storing it or burning it off. He said that, while the high intensity training “won’t necessarily” improve strength, it does boost endurance. He added that the short duration of the exercise was “highly important as time is often cited as the main barrier to taking part in exercise.”

Millions of pacemakers, cochlear implants and drug pumps are today helping people live relatively normal lives, but these devices are not without engineering challenges. First off, they require power, which means batteries. And batteries are bulky, the journal “Applied Physics Letters” reports. In a pacemaker or a similar device, the battery alone accounts for as much as half the volume of the device it powers. Second, batteries have limited lives. New surgery is needed when they are spent, according to the “Daily Mail”.

“Wireless power solves both challenges,” said Ada Poon, professor of electrical engineering at Stanford, who led the research. Last year, Poon made headlines when she demonstrated a wirelessly powered, self-propelled device capable of swimming through the bloodstream.

Beyond the heart, they believe such devices might include swallowable endoscopes-so-called “pillcams” that travel the digestive tract, permanent pacemakers and precision brain stimulators. The new device could power virtually any medical application where size and power matter.

Source: IANS