Heart risk factors high in young Indian adults: Study

More and more, young urban adults in India are developing obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, suggesting that rising rates of cardiovascular disease could appear in the future, an Indian study said.

Among 1,100 young adults from New Delhi, all three conditions became steadily more common over the 7 years of the study, according to findings published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"Given the rapid socioeconomic and demographic transitions in India, I was not surprised at the high incidence rate," said Dorairaj Prabhakaran, a cardiologist at the Centre for Chronic Disease Control in New Delhi, who worked on the study.

Though Western-style diets are often blamed for feeding obesity and its associated health problems, such eating habits aren't that common in India.

"Many popular Indian foods are unhealthy, as they are rich in sugar and saturated fat," Prabhakaran added.

At the outset of the study, when the average participant was 29 years old, about 50 percent had waistlines that fit the criteria for abdominal obesity. Seven years later, that was true of 70%

Rates of high blood pressure rose from 11 percent to 34 percent among men, and from 5 to 15% among women. Diabetes rose from 5 to 12% among men, and from 3.5% to 7% among women.

These "remarkable changes" in such a short time suggest that these young adults could face high rates of heart disease and stroke in the future, the researchers warned.

India, with its population of 1 billion-plus, was estimated to account for 60% of the world's heart disease cases in 2010. A separate recent study found that people in India and other South Asian countries suffer their first myocardial infarction at age 53 on average, 6 years earlier than the rest of the world.

Heart disease and its risk factors put a huge financial burden on the Indian people and healthcare system, with the annual cost of treating diabetes consuming anywhere from 5 to 34% of personal income in India.

More sobering, while the study looked only at young adults in New Delhi, Prabhakaran said that heart risk factors in rural areas of southern India have also risen quickly over the last decade, nearing levels seen in urban areas.

"Reducing cardiovascular disease and its risk factors requires a policy response," Prabhakaran added.

"Particularly tobacco control, making fruits and vegetables available locally and affordable, and an enabling environment to improve physical activity."

   A few words about fast food

Fast food has gained immense popularity with the hard-core professionals who hardly have time to cook a meal. The wide acceptability of fast food across the world reflects the importance of this kind of food. In spite of warnings from the health experts, fast food industry is rapidly flourishing. Little do we realize that fast food is saving our time and energy but taking away the most precious thing from us. Any guesses? Yes, you are correct, our good health and well-being is taken away by fast food at a very fast pace

Research shows that obesity is on the rise throughout the world only because of junk food. Fast food is often termed as junk food as well. Children are having a tendency to become obese. The sedentary lifestyle that is followed by professionals does not provide the scope to burn out extra calories. Consequently, our body keeps on storing the extra fat, which results in obesity. Accumulation of fat deposits causes cardiovascular diseases, which in turn cause other heart problems. Thus you can very well see that a chain reaction starts off with regular intake of fast food.

Fast food is comprised of the following ingredients:

• Carbohydrates
• Saturated fat
• Proteins
• Sodium
• Sugar
• High fat

You will be surprised to know that all the above nutrients can cause dangerous diseases when taken in excess. Fast food contain higher amount of fats and salts compared to home cooked meals. It is quite difficult for working people to cook meals everyday. Consuming fast food is a good option but the after effects are lethal. A quick glimpse at the diseases caused by fast food provides you with the opportunity to understand the demerits. Fast food causes:

• Obesity
• Heart diseases
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Breast cancer

High carbohydrate content is another major issue with fast food. Carbohydrates, as we know is a great contributor to obesity. Food like burger, noodles, hot dogs, sausages, fries and aerated drinks have high carb content along with several toxic ingredients. Regular intake of the above mentioned food can prove dangerous in the long run. Fast food is easy to cook but does not have any nutritional value. A plateful of noodles or a hot dog might satisfy your hunger, but they don't have any food value. What you gain after eating them is nothing but loads of extra calories.

Fast food is high in sodium, fats and salts. Cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, fried fish, pizzas, and milk shakes may sound lip smacking. But they are unhealthy food. A meal consisting of a sugary drink, a burger and fries is equivalent of calories required in two days. Oils used in the food are extremely fatty and increases cholesterol content in blood. Fast food is always taken while an individual is on the run. Eating carelessly may cause overeating, which is an important cause of obesity. It is hard to avoid fast food in today's fast world. But you can always try to do the better.