Heart disease and stroke together is the world’s number one killer, causing 17.5 million deaths every year.
- High blood pressure (HBP) is the biggest single risk factor for heart disease and stroke. HBP affects more than a billion people worldwide and it normally goes undetected, as it has no obvious symptoms.
- However, it is easy for a health-care professional to identify and is usually controllable with lifestyle changes and/or medication.
- By 2025 it is estimated more than 1.5 billion people, or nearly one in three adults over the age of 25, will have high blood pressure.
- Risk factors for heart disease and stroke include high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, smoking, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity.
The World Health Organization recommends a maximum quantity of 5 grams of salt a day, which is about a teaspoonful.
Tips on reducing salt in your diet:
Often people use salt out of habit. When you eat, there are lots of ways to eat less salt:
ü Choose healthier breakfast cereals. Try puffed wheat, wheat biscuits or muesli with no added salt.
ü Snack on plain popcorn or unsalted nuts and seeds, instead of crisps or crackers.
ü Go easy with ketchup, soy sauce, mustard, pickles and mayonnaise – these can all be high in salt.
ü When you have a salad, use only as much dressing as you need. Some dressings can be high in salt.
It is possible to develop high blood pressure at any age and there are no obvious symptoms. Let the World Heart Day be a catalyst in your life to recognize the potential risk to your heart and take preventive &/or remedial action. The only way to know if you are at risk is to visit a health-care professional for a check-up.
Dr. Shivang Swaminarayan
Issued in Public Interest by Homoeopathy Knowledge Centre”