Indulging palate proves costly for 83 pc Indian hearts

New Delhi, Sept 29: More than four-fifth of the country's population admitted that their love for sumptuous food was posing a big block in the road to a healthy heart and active life. A study launched on the occasion of World Heart Day, while highlighting the obstructions to a healthy heart, revealed that 83 per cent Indians' inability to say no to delicious food, followed by long working hours (80 per cent) and job-related stress (76 per cent) was increasing the risk of Cardio Vascular Diseases among the citizens. According to the Saffolalife Study 2017, conducted among 1306 respondents across Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata, 74 per cent respondents said when it came to food, they tried other healthy options as well, but since the healthy food was not very tasty, they could not relish it much. The study further revealed that lack of sleep (74 per cent), apart from home-related stress (72 per cent), time spent on a mobile or tablet (69 per cent), long travelling hours (68 per cent) and lack of space to exercise near office or home (68 per cent) was responsible for the sedentary lifestyle of the citizens. Coming to the fair sex, 81 per cent females said household work took up a lot of their time, leaving very less for other activities. Besides, the women said they had to cook separately for themselves, if they wanted healthy food, which in itself became a barrier. As for the national capital, the study findings indicated that long working hours (79 per cent), job stress (73 per cent), lack of sleep (71 per cent) and long travel hours (65 per cent) were preventing the Delhiites from having a healthy heart, apart from the obvious - the temptation of tasty food (81 per cent). In a different reason, 48 per cent Delhi women said they felt unsafe going for a walk or run in their neighbourhood. Commenting on the findings, Dr Manish Bansal, Associate Director, Cardiology at Medanta, said though Indians were becoming conscious about the risks of cardiovascular diseases, however, compliance and action towards lifestyle changes to prevent CVDs was extremely low. Despite the continuous propagation of leading healthier lives, India continues to see alarming heart health statistics. The risk and frequency of cardiovascular diseases was on a rise, especially among the youth of the country, he warned. UNI