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| HEALTH & FITNESS |
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How to protect your heart in winter
Child obesity a major threat to health
Health Notes
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How to protect your heart in winter
Eating “sarson ka saag” and “makki ki roti” with a dollop of butter, gajjak, rewri and groundnuts, sitting around the fire, cuddling up in a warm blanket and — guess what — having a heart attack! This is something very common in winter. In a study published in “Circulation” the journal of the American, Heart Association - researchers have found that the rate of heart disease-related deaths rises sharply between December 25 and January 7. There is a combination of factors that increase the heart attack risk in winter: Spasm of arteries: When a person gets exposed to cold weather, the body’s automatic response is to narrow the blood vessels to the skin so that heat is retained . But for people who already have arteries filled with plaque, the narrowing of the blood vessels raises the risk that it will become blocked, triggering a heart attack. The problem is higher in India as we do not live in artificially regulated temperatures as in the West. Increased blood pressure due to the narrowing leading to a strain on the heart: This has the effect of a double whammy - not only does the heart have to work harder but its blood supply is reduced. While this may be tolerated well by a normal heart, in a diseased heart it can precipitate an attack. Thicker blood: In cold weather, blood platelets appear to be more active and stickier and, therefore, more likely to clot. In fact, even the levels of cholesterol rise during winter. Holiday
feasting: People tend to eat and drink more and gain more weight during the holiday season and winter months — all of which are hard on the ticker. Unaccustomed exercise: Every year on January 1 . millions of people join gyms as part of their New Year resolution to get in shape, and many may over-exert themselves too soon. There is no doubt that exercise is good, but the exercise that the body is not prepared to handle is not good . Start an exercise regimen under the supervision of your doctor if you have heart disease risk factors. Beginning your new routine gradually is not only less taxing on your body, but also easier to stick to. Increased stress hormones: During the winter months, there is a change in the ratio of daylight hours to dark hours, which causes an increase of stress hormones such as cortisol. Snow shovelling: Believe it or not, studies from Shimla show that heart attack rates jump dramatically in the first few days after a major snowstorm, usually a result of snow shovelling. One of my patients — a PT teacher at a boarding school in Shimla — suffered a heart attack as he was showing his NCC students how to work in the snow. Shovelling snow or any physical strenuous activity makes the heart work harder and raises your blood pressure. Stressful season: Depression is not uncommon in winter. The holiday season for many people is a very stressful time due to family issues or financial pressure, causing anxiety, loneliness and depression and these are all linked to heart attacks. Seasonal affective disorder or SAD is caused by the lack of exposure to sunlight during the winter months. Less daylight: Less of sunlight in winters not only adds to depression but also lowers the levels of vitamin D (which comes from sunlight falling on the skin) - this by itself has been linked heart attacks. Flu (Influenza):
Winter also raises your chances of getting the flu due to low humidity brought on by cold weather and indoor heating. A flu infection can cause blood pressure, stir up white blood cell activity and change C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels in the blood - all bad news for your heart. Flu and other respiratory disease in winter cause inflammation, which in turn make the plaque less stable and may dislodge it, contributing to heart attacks. If you come down with the flu, a cold or a cough, ask your doctor before taking any over-the-counter decongestant. Those containing pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine can raise blood pressure, which can increase your chances of having a heart attack. Delay in seeking treatment:
The risk is higher during the holidays because people commonly delay seeking treatment for symptoms during this time of the year. I vividly remember a polite elderly patient in Sydney who apologised profusely for having “disturbed” me in the holiday season with a heart attack. So, does this mean you have to fear winter and huddle indoors all the time? Not at all ! The message is not to be afraid of the winter but to know that winter is a period of increased risk and you have to look for ways to minimise that risk. So, during the winter, try to keep your heart healthy by keeping the following pointers in mind:
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Stick to your normal exercise plan. l Avoid very early morning walks - wait for sunrise. l
Wear proper attire — a thermal inner, muffler, cap, warm socks and a jacket with hood are good investments to enjoy a healthy walk. For Sikh gentlemen, a turban offers good protection to the head and ears from the cold. l
Start slow - the cardiovascular system can adapt to slow and progressive changes, but it has a much more difficult time adapting to sudden changes. ll Have a proper trained gym instructor chart, a graded exercise programme for you . Don’t aim for an SRK-6 pack in a short time. l
Eat a prudent diet, low in saturated fats and calories. Nuts and dry fruits can be taken in moderation if one is not overweight. Avoid fatty, fried and non-vegetarian food. l
Avoid tobacco , coffee , tea or alcohol just to “warm you up” — the additional nicotine and caffeine put an increased stress on the heart . “Holiday spirits” also increase blood pressure and rhythm irregularity . l
Skip the frantic last minute shopping trip to the mall for buying New Year gifts. Plan well in time — gifting online is a good option. l
Stop and smell the roses. Don’t get stressed out about preparations — take time to enjoy celebrations with family and friends . l
Avoid gambling on New Year. It can be stressful, harming you both financially and health-wise l
Know and manage your blood pressure. l
Don’t ignore symptoms if you are not feeling well. Doctors on duty will not mind. l
“Let The Sunshine In” — Sit in the sun — this improves your levels of vitamin-D. l
Take your medication as recommended l
Do not postpone doctor’s visits. The writer, Head of the Cardio-Vascular & Thoracic Surgery Department, CMC, Ludhiana, was earlier at the St Vincents Hospital in Australia and the Escorts Heart Institute , New Delhi. Email:
drhsbedicmc@gmail.com.
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Child obesity a major threat to health
Obesity has become a global problem affecting all people of all ages. But what is alarming is that it has not spared the children as well. In urban India, almost 15 per cent of the school children are obese. Michelle Obama, America’s First Lady, has taken upon herself the task of eliminating childhood obesity in a generation! This is because almost 32 per cent American children and adolescents are obese. So, what is the solution? It is very simple. We have to convince and educate the parents. They don’t have to study rocket science or break a bank to have an influence on their kids’ weight and health. Make sure the kids play outdoor games for an hour everyday. Limit the TV viewing time. Discourage junk foods and aerated drinks. Encourage them to eat a balanced diet. Prepare healthy tasty food at home. As the kids succumb very easily to peer pressure, all the parents should decide to send health-giving food in the tiffin boxes, and the teachers should also do their bit to encourage them. So, go ahead and do it. The beauty is that even if we achieve 20 per cent success, we will change the health status of our kids.
Unscrupulous advertising
by food manufacturers
This is one big issue which is really worrying the nutrition experts. When junk foods and sodas are so glamourised on the small screen, how can you blame the poor kids? You have pretty actresses luring you to consume sugar substitutes without explaining you their harmful side-effects. The only way out is EDUCATING the masses about nutrition. One should be able to read the food labels and judge for oneself whether a particular food item is good for health or not. What were the nutrition professionals debating about? There was a big debate on cholesterol being the major cause of heart disease, and a debate on the focus on the reduction of fat in dietary guidelines for good health. Leading medical experts have questioned the contention that cholesterol is a major cause of heart disease. They feel that cholesterol is only one of several risk factors contributing to heart disease. It is a component of all body cells and is manufactured by the liver. So, even if no cholesterol-rich foods are ingested, the body still has the ability to create endogenous cholesterol. High blood cholesterol levels are more strongly associated with genetic factors than any other risk factors currently identified. Foods containing saturated fats are rich in cholesterol and do elevate blood cholesterol, but the mechanism whereby cholesterol deposits itself on artery walls is not yet known fully. Experts feel that if you want to reduce the risk of heart diseases, stop smoking, maintain normal blood pressure and reduce total calories by eating a nutritionally balanced diet with a variety of foods .They criticise the extreme focus placed on cholesterol since this standpoint diminishes public awareness of smoking and high blood pressure as major risk factors. The focus on reduction of fat in dietary guidelines is not necessarily the best way to be healthy. Not all fats are bad. We have the good mono-unsaturated fats in olive oil and mustard oil and unsaturated fats in soybean oil and groundnut oil. Though some studies have shown that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat may reduce the risk of heart disease, most people replace saturated fat with bad carbs (refined sugars) which ends up being worse. The conclusion, “What actually is important is to have a wholesome balanced diet with increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, vegetable oils and whole grains, and reduced consumption of trans-fat, salt and processed meats.” What they all agreed upon? That nutrition science is a “ work in progress”. It is like trying to reach the destination through a thick dark jungle. You go a few steps forward, a few backwards, but all you are doing is trying to reach your destination of GOOD HEALTH which you definitely will. The writer is Senior Dietician,
PGI,
Chandigarh.
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Health Notes
Melbourne: It’s depression that cuts more years off the lives of Aussie men than liver disease and colon cancer, reveals a new study conducted by The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Barbara Hocking of the SANE Australia said depression was a silent epidemic among many men who still believed discussing the difficult topic was a sign of weakness. “There’s a general understanding that women experience it (depression); there’s much less awareness that men do,” News.com.au quoted her as saying. “Part of that . . . is that men are much less likely to seek help for depression; there needs to be a lot more work in changing blokey attitudes. “The important thing to understand with this silent epidemic is that getting treatment does help and the risk people run by not seeking help is enormous,” added Hocking. —
ANI
Cure for insulin-dependent diabetes could be developed within three years
Melbourne: A new study by researchers in Sydney has offered fresh hope to patients with insulin-dependent diabetes. Professor Ann Simpson and her team at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), say that a cure for the condition can be developed within three years. They are leading the fight against type 1 diabetes, with two separate teams at Westmead and UTS attempting to beat the potentially deadly condition. Researchers believe their study will lead to a treatment for type 1 diabetes after they successfully reversed the debilitating disease in mice, rats and pigs. “We are thrilled with the results we have seen so far and I see absolutely no reason why the same technique will not work on humans,” the Daily Telegraph quoted her as saying. —
ANI
Wealthy people more likely
to get certain cancers
Sydney: People living in wealthy suburbs are more likely to get certain types of cancer than those living in poorer zones, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The report revealed that richer people were more likely to get breast, prostate and skin cancer, and poorer people were more likely to suffer bowel, cervical and lung cancers, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. There was a large difference in lung cancer incidence, with about 35 per 100,000 people being diagnosed in high socio-economic areas compared to about 50 in 100,000 in low socio-economic districts. For breast cancer, the rate was 106 per 100,000 people in low socio-economic areas compared to about 122 per 100,000 in high socio-economic areas. For skin cancer, the rate was 42 per 100,000 people in low socio-economic areas and 52 per 100,000 in high socio-economic areas. With prostate cancer, it was 160 per 100,000 in low socio-economic areas compared to 185 per 100,000 in high socio-economic areas, and for cervical cancer, it was 8 per 100,000 in low socio-economic areas and 6 per 100,000 in high socio-economic areas. —
ANI
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Eating “sarson ka saag” and “makki ki roti” with a dollop of butter,
gajjak, rewri and groundnuts, sitting around the fire, cuddling up in a warm blanket and — guess what — having a heart attack! This is something very common in winter.
In a study published in “Circulation” the journal of the American, Heart Association - researchers have found that the rate of heart disease-related deaths rises sharply between December 25 and January 7. There is a combination of factors that increase the heart attack risk in winter:
Why are we so worried about childhood obesity? After all, one always associated chubby and fat kids with good health! The fact is that obesity in childhood increases the risk for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, increased blood cholesterol levels and cardiovascular diseases both in early years and later on.