Young Executives More Vulnerable to Heart Attacks

Cardiac arrests are taking their toll and the cases are quickly increasing around the world. Heart failure has become one of the top killers of human beings. However, in India even the younger are also becoming victims of this sudden killer. In the last three months, top corporate personalities like R Ravimohan (52), executive director with Reliance Industries and Ranjan Das (42), CEO and MD of SAP India succumbed to cardiac arrest. The worrying factor is, both the victims are health conscious and took care of basic physical fitness even in their busy routine. If not poor physical fitness, what is the cause for these often fatal attacks?

The Cause
Mental stress is one of the major reasons for the deaths at such a younger age due to heart failure. Apart from stress, many other factors may constitute to the heart attack. They include sedentary lifestyle that causes obesity, smoking, blood pressure, and eating habits. It is a point to note that smoking is the main cause for nearly half of the heart attacks. A smoker is four to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack.

The Gene Factor
Even if you are not overweight, follow a strict vegetarian diet, and do not smoke or drink, there are chances of getting struck by heart attack. Scientists recently discovered that genes are also a major contributor to the heart failures among Indians.

According to South Asian Heart Center, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) that leads to heart attacks is more prevalent in South Asians. When compared to people of other regions, CAD strikes 4 times more in South Asians. It is estimated that India will have 60 percent of the total CAD of the world by 2010. South Asians are vulnerable at younger age where CAD strikes almost 33% earlier. Urban people in India are more likely to suffer heart attacks at an earlier age, often without prior warning or symptoms.

Thus, a family history of heart diseases can help you to understand the vulnerability to heart attacks. So, what we can do to avoid heart attacks?

Build Your Heart Strong
The primary focus of your personal fitness should be on cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular exercises help to reduce high blood pressure levels, increase the quantity of good cholesterol and lower the bad cholesterol. When the primary arteries are partially obstructed, cardiovascular exercises help to form a secondary circulation system.

Involve in at least 40 minutes of vigorous physical activity daily. That Includes climbing stairs, a long stroll after meals, walking, cycling etc.

Eat Healthy
The health of your heart depends on the food you take. So eat healthy to stay healthy. Take food low in saturated fats, and high in monounsaturated fats. Eat green vegetables cooked with small amount of oil. Take brown rice instead of white rice. Take bread made from whole-wheat flour instead of enriched flour white breads. Apart from eating only rice, try other grains like cracked wheat, barley, and quinoa. Choose lean meats such as white meat chicken, lean red meat, or turkey. Instead of drinking juice, eat whole fruit to increase the fiber intake.

Detect the Danger Upfront
The common mistake most healthy people make is they do not screen for heart diseases prior to the attack. Even among the educated, only a few people routinely get screened prior to a cardiac arrest. Heart attack is preventable as well as treatable and testing for this ailment even from a younger age is very important.