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(In the weekly Health Matters newsletter, Ramya Kannan writes about getting to good health, and staying there. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox.)
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All these stories we hear, of youngsters collapsing and dying while dancing, cycling, gymming, singing or just being, are they an indication of a rising number of extreme cardiac events in the country, or is it because we now have access, through social media, to the daily lives of men and women, in a manner that we never had before? Were there as many sudden cardiac deaths in the past, and we had not heard of them? Is it even possible that the actual numbers have increased as a result of our lifestyle choices, or is there a certain medical vulnerability that we are as yet unaware of?
This World Heart Day (September 29), it was time to ask experts what they thought the actual situation was. Cardiologists indicated that there was indeed a rising number, above and beyond the social media glut, and pointed out to ways in which we can protect ourselves and keep our precious hearts beating.
Senior cardiologist and founder of Apollo Hospitals Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, who gave up a lucrative career abroad to stay back in India and treat heart diseases, lays it bare: Going beyond the metaphor ‘young at heart’. He argues that in a country where more than half the population is under the age of 35, India should ideally be seen as a land of vitality, vigour, and youthful promise. Yet, the reality is quite disconcerting. Cardiovascular diseases, once considered to be primarily old age-related afflictions, are now increasingly affecting the younger generations. The metaphor ‘young at heart’ that we would often use to compliment the middle-aged or elderly for their youthfulness and energy is no longer just an expression; it has taken on a serious health connotation.
He writes: Data from hospitals across India between 2020 and 2023 affirms this rising health crisis, showing 50% of heart attack patients to be under 40 years. The conveniences of modern life, long working hours, sedentary routines, and dietary compromises have gradually contributed to a growing epidemic that threatens the very heart of our society. There is an immediate need for young India to understand that taking care of your heart starts today, regardless of whether you are 18 or 60.
Dr. Priya Chockalingam also takes the bull by its horns: Why we are losing young lives to heart disease. In this article, she acknowledges the rising burden of cardiac diseases in the country, and presents the good news that smart action can indeed keep these at bay.
She explains that a heart attack is a truly multifactorial disease with behavioural, environmental, metabolic, and genetic factors at play, drawing up a list of factors that one has to watch out for. The three silent killers – hypertension, diabetes, abnormal cholesterol levels; the three behavioural factors – unhealthy diets, inadequate exercise, poor emotional wellbeing including lack of sleep; the four addictions – tobacco, alcohol, recreational drugs, gadgets; obesity, environmental pollution, inflammation and genetic aberrations – a combination of one or more of these risk factors is responsible for the causation of coronary artery disease, heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths.
Are you aware that it is possible to prevent and control every one of them by smart action? When the building blocks of health are in place, lifestyle diseases such as heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and even some cancers, stay away.
Yes, hypertension. Did you know a recent study showed high BP in childhood is linked to an increased death risk from heart disease in your mid 50s? The authors of the study stressed the importance of checking children’s blood pressure regularly, which is scarcely done, presently, and inculcating heart-healthy habits in them at a very young age. “Having hypertension or elevated blood pressure as a child may increase the risk of death by 40% to 50% over the next five decades of an individual’s life,” said lead author of the study, Alexa Freedman, an assistant professor at the Northwestern University’s school of medicine, U.S.
In addition to unusually high blood pressure, a government report recently estimated that one-third of India’s children age 5-9 have high triglycerides. The report, Children in India 2025 was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on September 25, and provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the well-being of children in the country.
And if we are talking blood pressure, can salt be far behind? Do read Chandrakant Lahariya and C.K. Mishra’s article: Just a pinch can reduce an Indian’s salt overload. Indian adults consume nearly eight to 11 grams of salt every day. This is double the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended daily salt intake of five to six grams per day. The authors recommend integrating salt reduction strategies into existing national health programmes.
Do follow that up with this article by Dr. C. Aravinda on Salt, Gandhi, and the physiology of sodium hunger.
Dr. Suresh Kumar K.’s article also underlines the need to Understand and prioritise heart health in India and Dr. Vid Karmarkar and Jitendra Chouksey highlight another important intervention that works: Muscle matters: rethinking obesity with resistance training.
With the most astounding statement yet, coming out of America, and from its President, no less, this time, people rushed to fact check and counter the completely unscientific, unproven statement that taking tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. U.S. President Donald Trump linked autism to childhood vaccine use and the taking of popular pain medication Tylenol by women when pregnant. The World Health Organisation, in a statement, said: there is currently no conclusive scientific evidence confirming a possible link between autism and the use of paracetamol during pregnancy. For more details on this deluded campaign to villainise the safe drug: acetaminophen, do read this profile by Vasudevan Mukunth: Acetaminophen | Spectacle of blame.
In a similar context, this piece by Jeffrey Morris in The Conversation argues Why a study claiming vaccines cause chronic illness is severely flawed.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, Halal concerns drive vaccine hesitancy during a measles outbreak.
Moving on to cancer, a couple of studies published last week expressed a grim future with regards the disease. While one study projected cancer deaths to rise by 75% in next 25 years; with ageing among driving factors; another projected kidney cancer cases could double in next 25 years globally. There is no looking past the fact that lifestyle choices play a huge role, as do genetics and environmental factors, but being aware is the first step to prevention, and if necessary, course correction.
A Harvard Business School working paper found that multiple AI chatbots that serve as “companions” used emotional manipulation tactics to keep users engaged for longer when they tried to say good-bye. It is relevant to point out here that Character.AI was sued over the 2024 suicide of a teenaged boy in the U.S. who interacted frequently with AI personas via the app. The boy’s mother alleged that the child was sexually abused on the platform. In this study, researchers showed that such systems frequently use emotionally manipulative messages at key moments of disengagement, and that these tactics meaningfully increase user engagement. They added: “As emotionally intelligent technologies continue to scale, both designers and regulators must grapple with the tradeoff between engagement and manipulation, especially when the tactics at play remain hidden in plain sight”
Our tail piece this week is our in house video podcast, HealthWrap, in it’s 10th edition. In this, we discuss Post-COVID heart risks, men’s health, and what the new WHO update on essential meds means for India? Do watch at the link above.
This week, in our explainers section, it can get pretty overwhelming, so here is a selection that you can pick and choose from:
Zubeda Hamid in the In Focus Podcast, discusses Why C-section rates are rising in India? Do read along with this: G.V.R. Subba Rao says High Caesarean deliveries in A.P. a concern, muhurtham or auspicious surgeries not right, says Chandrababu Naidu
Everyone is talking about this new personality type. Meenakshy S. tell you all you need to know about: otroverts
Athira Elssa Johnson asks: What the options are for non-hormonal contraception and why they are not widely used in India?
N.K. Arora and M.K. Das point out Lessons from India’s vaccination drive
Children growing up in the digital era have more to worry about posture than ever before, Dr. Paneendra S. writes
In the context of World Lung Day, Dr. Irfan Ismail Ayub facilitates an understanding common respiratory diseases and their effective management
Dr. Suja Ramanathan tells you What your child’s platelet count and haemoglobin levels could be telling you
Geetha Srimathi explains Why eco-restoration alone won’t help residents of the heavily industrialised Manali-Ennore region in North Chennai
Did you think, ‘Only’ a nail infection? Dr. Reshma T. Vishnani points out the unwisdom of that, here. Read to know how the nail could be an index of the body
How can an allergic reaction in the throat feel like a throat infection?
Also read:
Lancet study outlines trends in HMPV outbreak early this year, children most affected
Healthcare reforms required globally to match progress in diagnosis, treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: researchers
Science quiz: On environmental health
Experts stress the need for research and physician training to expand medical uses of cannabis in India
For many more health stories, head to our health page and subscribe to the health newsletter here.
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