Tobacco, fast food add to heart disease cases

ALLAHABAD, DECEMBER 20: Increasing consumption of tobacco and fast food in India, specially among women, is responsible for a rise in the ...

ALLAHABAD, DECEMBER 20: Increasing consumption of tobacco and fast food in India, specially among women, is responsible for a rise in the number of people suffering from heart diseases in our country, eminent cardiologists of Indraprastha Apollo Hospital Dr Vipul N Roy and Dr Ganesh Mani have said.

Talking to newsmen here here on Sunday, Roy and Mani said in contrast, people in Western countries have managed to control heart diseases by bringing changes in their living and eating habits. While the consumption of tobacco and fast food had increased in the country tremendously with an alarmingly large number of female tobacco consumers, in Western countries the people have put a hold on all these types of harmful consumption, they said.

They said in India the funds allotted by the government for health was very low in comparison to Western countries. Advanced facilities were also not available in government set ups which was the reason why heart patients did not get adequate care, they pointed out.

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They said that by reducing animal fat in diet, eating more salad, fruits, sprouts and by doing regular exercises heart problems could be avoided.

The doctors said it was also important to realise that the disease starts early in life, so the younger members of the family should also follow a healthy lifestyle.

Both the doctors, who were here to participate in the Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme said that expertise to cure heart diseases was available in the country but three were no fund.

Mani, who has done nearly 5,000 cardiac surgeries with a success rate of over 98 per cent said children should be taught about heart problems in their schools. This would help the doctors and the government in their task of educating people.

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In reply to a question, both the doctors said women were not free from heart diseases. Even though till menopause the incidence remains less but after menopause they start catching up with males and generally do worse in terms of complications and prognosis.