Given our current health crisis, it’s easy to forget that COVID-19 is not the leading cause of death in the world. That distinction belongs to heart disease, which killed more than nine million adults in 2019 and represents 16 per cent of all deaths globally according to the WHO. Over six million of these deaths occurred in people between the ages of 30 and 70 and the highest incidents occurred in China, followed by India, Russia and the US. Research shows that COVID-19 itself may harm the heart, by either hindering the flow of oxygen or initiating a potentially damaging immune response. Clearly, it is more important than ever to take control of your cardiovascular health no matter your age: These 25 facts are a perfect place to begin any heart-health education.
1 Get screened early
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that everyone over age 18 get regularly screened for hypertension, or high blood pressure. According to results of a 2019 survey conducted by the Cardiological Society of India, almost one in every three Indian adults are hypertensive. And a study in PLOS Medicine revealed that less than 45 per cent remain undiagnosed. “Your blood pressure can be high without showing any symptoms— that’s why it’s known as ‘the silent killer’,” says Nieca Goldberg, MD, a cardiologist and the medical director for the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. You should also get a lipoprotein profile, which measures your LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and total cholesterol. Left untreated, high blood pressure and high cholesterol can lead to heart disease, an aneurysm or even a stroke.
2 Manage stress and anxiety
Denne historien er fra September 2021-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 2021-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi
Pushpesh Pant, one of India’s pre-eminent food writers, is back with a comprehensive food history of the capital.
Who Wants Coffee?
It’s bitter—but beloved around the world
Prevent The Pain Of Shingles
You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps
The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart
Dozens of diets are touted as ‘best’, but it’s easy to lose track of the fact that healthy eating needs to be about overall wellness, not just weight loss.
ME & MY SHELF
Journalist Sopan Joshi has worked in a science and environment framework for nearly three decades. His book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango (Aleph Book Company) synthesizes the sensory appeal of India's favourite fruit with its elaborate cultural roots and natural history. He writes in English and Hindi.
SWITCHED
In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.
ECHOES OF THE PAST
A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT BARABAR CAVES IN BIHAR REVEALS A SURPRISING CONNECTION TO A LITERARY CLASSIC
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood
Fiction's Foresight
British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.
