September 29th is World Heart Day and the organisers of World Heart Day have a
clear message for us all. We all have only one heart for the whole of our lives.
To maximise quality of life and reduce risk of heart disease, strokes and other
related conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, the World Heart
Foundation are highlighting three top lifestyle priorities that everyone of us
can take action on.
• maintaining a healthy body weight,
• getting into a daily habit of 30-60 minutes of exercise
• consuming a varied healthy diet based on plenty of fruit, vegetables
and grain, and moderate consumption of fat, especially saturated fats.
The Asian Food Information Centre offers some practical tips for action.
Healthy Heart Healthy Diet
The World Heart Foundation advises a diet with at least 5-7
servings of fruit and vegetables a day; a variety of grains, especially whole
grains; using sunflower, corn, canola and olive oils and margarines instead of
animal fats; using low-fat and fat-free products where possible, and choosing
low fat protein foods such as lean meat, fish, beans and pulses. The benefits of
limiting dietary fat have been understood for a long time, but the scientific
evidence for the benefits of high fruit and vegetable consumption has emerged
more recently: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition for example, recently
published a study which found the risk of heart disease was reduced by 27% in
those who ate at least 3 portions of fruit and vegetables each day, compared to
those who ate these foods rarely or never.
Healthy Healthy body weight
A healthy body weight is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI)
between 18.5 and 25. To calculate individual BMI, divide body weight (in
kilogrammes) by the square of height (in metres). Thus a woman weighing 64 kgs
who is1.6 metres tall has a body mass index of 64 divided by 1.6x1.6 = BMI of
25. A BMI of 25 is the upper end of the healthy range and so such a person
should be particularly vigilant not to gain any more weight. Numerous population
studies demonstrate how important this is : For example, a person with a BMI of
27 has a three times greater risk of suffering a stroke than a person with a BMI
of 22, and severe obesity classified as a BMI of greater than 30 increases the
risk of death amongst 25-35 year olds by 12 times.
Some experts believe that in Asian populations, waist circumference may be an
even more valuable method of assessing individual risk of developing heart
disease and stroke. Asian women with a waist measurement of 88cm/35 inches or
more, and men with a waist measurement of 102 cm/40 inches or more seem to be at
greater risk than their slimmer counterparts.
If you are overweight by either of these measures, it is wise to consult a
doctor or nutritionist for advice on weight loss, but to prevent future weight
gain the heart healthy diet and regular exercise will help, as well as reducing
the risk of developing heart disease.
Healthy Regular physical exercise
30 -60 minutes every day of moderate to vigorous physical
activity such as brisk walking, or swimming, has also found to massively reduce
individual risk of developing heart disease, strokes and other chronic disease,
even amongst those who are overweight. Dr Blair of the US-based Cooper Institute
and a world-renowned expert on the benefits of exercise estimates that mortality
risk is reduced by 50% for those who shift from a totally sedentary lifestyle to
30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Regular exercise also brings many
other benefits, such as improved sleep quality and psychological well being. It
is also much easier for those who do regular exercise to stay slim, as exercise
encourages the body to burn more calories both during, and after exercising.
