Sugar may be the new cholesterol!

AHMEDABAD: Leading cardiologists from across Delhi and India debated how 'sugar might be the new cholesterol' for people at risk of heart disease, as any excess amount consumed is converted to fat! Dr G R Kane, a senior cardiologist from Hinduja Hospital, said that while people are mindful of the fact that consuming high-fat food may increase cholesterol levels, there is little awareness about the adverse impact of eating excess sugar. "Sugar is still associated with diabetes but it gets directly converted to fat. There needs to be awareness about consuming sugar in moderation," Kane said.

Read Full News Sources- Times of India

Sugar and many other controversial factors affecting heart health and cardiac disease treatment were discussed by experts at 'national debate' 2017 which revived a similar exercise undertaken by leading physicians of Gujarat — Dr Harshad Gandhi, Dr Jyotindra Bhatt, and Dr Premal Thakore — in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The debate was revived by course co-ordinators, cardiologists Dr Sameer Dani, Dr Sunil Thanvi, and Dr Rashmit Pandya.

Pollution and Heart Disease: Is There a Connection? - NDTV News

A recent Greenpeace India report, published at the beginning of 2017, shows that air pollution results in 1.2 million deaths every year in the country - Delhi being the most polluted. Continuous exposure to high levels of pollution can lead to long-term heath effects like chronic respiratory disease, lung cancer and even cause damage to the brain. A group of researchers, from the University of Washington School of Public Health, have now found a strong link between exposure to bad quality air and higher incidence of heart disease.

According to their findings which are a part of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, an ongoing US study examining the lifestyle factors that predict the development of cardiovascular disease, exposure to high levels of air pollution may increase the risk of heart disease by lowering the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), commonly known as the "good" cholesterol. Imagine this, you are breathing in and breathing out the same toxic air every second. It is bound to have some impact on your physical health. 

 

For the study, 6,654 middle-aged and older US adults from diverse ethnic backgrounds were examined. It was seen that people living in areas with high levels of traffic-related air pollution had lower HDL levels. Moreover, exposure to high particulate matter over a period of three months was associated with a a lower HDL particle number. These changes in the HDL levels may appear even after a brief exposure to air pollution, the authors noted. Further, it was seen that men and women responded to air pollutants differently. While HDL levels fell when faced with higher pollution exposure for both sexes, the magnitude was greater in women.

Low levels of good cholesterol can be an indicator of heart disease. Low levels of good cholesterol may be often accompanied by increased triglyceride levels which is bad for your heart. Pollution can also cause inflammatory effects in the heart which can lead to blood vessel rupture causing high blood pressure or even heart failure. 

You can find list of best cardiology doctors from top hospitals in Delhi.

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Browse through over 250 famous doctor interviews and read comprehensive articles explaining symptoms, treatment methods and prevention tips from diseases on the Credihealth blog. 

 
 

Air Pollution, Cancer & Coronary Artery Disease - Is there a relation?

A research conducted by a team of industry experts, a renowned oncologist and an experienced cardiologist suggests - Air pollution, caused mainly due to exhaust of vehicles in densely populated cities, has a serious and life-threatening effect on health.

The research studied the effect on lungs and heart of the people who are subjected to continual exposure to particulate matter PM2.5 that has diameter less than 2.5 micrometers and particulate matter PM10 that has diameter less than 10. It was found that air pollution multifolds the possibility of having lung cancer, even though if the pollution levels are under recommended guidelines. This means that a person can get lung cancer, simply because of the where he lives. With every increase of 5 mgm per cm increase in PM2.5, the possibility of getting lung cancer increased by a whooping 18% and every 10 mgm per cm increase of PM10 increased the risk of lung cancer by 22%. These shocking numbers estimated that people subjected to exposure of PM2.5 and PM10, developed lung cancer in long term, typically over an average life span of 13 years of continuous exposure.

The other shocking effect that was observed was on heart. The data showed air pollution increased the risk of cardiovascular disease in short term. The cardiologist estimated that any reduction in air pollution could considerably reduce the number of cases of coronary artery disease and lower healthcare costs.

Governments has taken major steps to reduce the air pollution levels in densely populated cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Chennai, Kolkata. Strong bills have been passed in the parliament to curb air pollution at industrial levels. However, citizen will have to step in and take responsibility in reducing air pollution due to vehicular traffic.