Don’t Miss a Beat: Understanding Heart Health
on World Heart Day 2025
Every year on September
29, the world observes World Heart Day, a
global initiative to raise awareness about heart diseases and the importance of
prevention, early detection, and proper care. This year’s theme, “Don’t
Miss a Beat,” reminds us to take proactive steps to safeguard
our hearts because every beat counts.
According to the World
Health Organization (WHO), heart disease is the leading cause
of death in the South-East Asia Region, claiming eight lives every
minute. What’s more alarming is that half of these
deaths are premature, occurring in people below 70 years of
age. Globally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for 20.5
million deaths annually, accounting for one-third of all
deaths.
So why is heart
disease such a big challenge, and more importantly, what can we do about it?
Let’s explore.
Why Heart Diseases Are Rising
Major Risk Factors
The risk factors for
cardiovascular diseases are no secret. They include:
·
High blood pressure
(hypertension)
·
Diabetes
·
Smoking and tobacco
use
·
Excessive alcohol
consumption
·
Unhealthy diet (too much salt,
sugar, and fat)
·
Physical inactivity
·
Chronic stress
The WHO estimates
that 85%
of people living with hypertension and diabetes in South-East Asia do not have
their conditions under control. Combined with ageing
populations and rapid urbanisation, this creates a ticking time bomb for public
health.
The Burden on Health Systems
Dr. Catharina Boehme,
Officer-in-Charge at WHO South-East Asia, explains that health systems are
under growing strain. Despite recent progress, such as 90 million people
receiving protocol-based treatment for hypertension and diabetes in public
facilities as of June 2025, challenges remain.
Key barriers include:
·
Weak
enforcement of tobacco and alcohol regulations
·
Poor
monitoring of unhealthy food marketing
·
Inadequate
fiscal measures (like taxes on sugary drinks or junk food)
This means the fight
against heart disease requires not just doctors and hospitals, but a
whole-of-society approach involving individuals, families, communities,
and governments.
How Lifestyle Choices Impact the Heart
Your heart is an
extraordinary organ about the size of a fist. It pumps over 7,500
litres of blood daily, delivering oxygen and nutrients
throughout the body. But lifestyle choices play a big role in how well it
performs.
Inactivity and Poor
Diet
Sedentary lifestyles
and diets rich in fast food have become the norm in modern life. Unfortunately,
these habits weaken the heart over time, raising risks of obesity, diabetes,
and high cholesterol.
Stress and Smoking
Chronic stress and
tobacco use speed up heart damage, often leading to silent complications that
go unnoticed until it’s too late.
The Role of Biokinetics: Exercise as Medicine
This is where biokinetics
— the science of movement comes in. Biokineticists use exercise as a form of
therapy, creating personalised, evidence-based exercise programs. These are
designed not just for fitness but also for rehabilitation and disease
prevention.
Regular physical
activity has proven benefits:
·
Lowers blood pressure
·
Improves cholesterol
levels
·
Regulates blood sugar
·
Boosts heart
efficiency
In other words, exercise
is a form of medicine. Even small daily movements like brisk walking,
cycling, or yoga can have powerful long-term effects on heart health.
Personalized Medicine: The Future of Heart
Care
Traditionally, heart
treatment, especially cholesterol management, focused on achieving “good” or
“bad” cholesterol numbers. But healthcare is now shifting toward personalised
medicine, which tailors treatment to each individual’s risk
profile, lifestyle, and genetics.
Why It Matters
·
Not all patients
respond the same way to medications.
·
Lifestyle changes
work better
when tailored to a person’s daily routine.
·
Treatment adherence
improves
when patients feel their plan is designed specifically for them.
Dr. Rajpal Singh,
Director and Senior Interventional Cardiologist at Fortis Hospital, Bangalore,
highlights that personalized care is no longer the future, it’s the
present. With better diagnostics, targeted therapies, and
stronger doctor-patient communication, cardiovascular prevention is entering a
new era.
A Growing Concern: Young People at Risk
Heart disease is no
longer just an “old person’s problem.”
Dr. Varun Bansal,
Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, warns that young
Indians in their 30s are increasingly experiencing heart attacks.
The reasons?
·
Sedentary
lifestyles
·
High-stress
jobs
·
Unhealthy
diets
·
Smoking
and alcohol
·
Rising
obesity rates
A report from Apollo
Hospitals (2019–2024) revealed that 26% of those screened had hypertension
and 23% had diabetes, often before symptoms appeared. This
silent progression makes early detection even more critical.
New Scientific Insights: The Role of GADD45A
Beyond lifestyle
changes and medical care, scientists are uncovering fascinating biological
mechanisms that protect the heart.
A recent study (April
2025) published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences identified
the protein
GADD45A as a key factor in preventing harmful stress responses
in the heart.
Here’s what
researchers found:
·
Lack
of GADD45A triggers inflammation, fibrosis, and cell death
in the heart.
·
These
changes worsen cardiac hypertrophy, the thickening of the
heart’s walls under stress.
· Overexpression of GADD45A in lab studies helped prevent damage caused by stress
factors.
This discovery
suggests that therapies boosting GADD45A activity could one day prevent
heart failure in high-risk patients, especially those with
diabetes or long-term hypertension.
What Can You Do to Protect Your Heart?
The message of World
Heart Day is simple: don’t wait until it’s too late.
Here are steps you can take right now:
For Individuals
·
Quit
smoking and limit alcohol.
·
Reduce
salt and processed food intake.
·
Aim
for at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity.
·
Manage
stress through meditation, hobbies, or breathing exercises.
·
Get
regular check-ups for blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol.
For Policymakers
·
Enforce
tobacco control laws.
·
Eliminate
industrial trans-fats from food supplies.
·
Promote
healthier school and workplace environments.
·
Strengthen
monitoring of unhealthy product advertising.
💖 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Final Thoughts
Heart disease may be
the world’s
leading killer, but it is also one of the most
preventable. By making healthier choices, embracing regular
exercise, and adopting personalized treatment approaches, we can significantly
reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.
Heart Health Mini-Toolkit
Includes a BMI calculator and a Quick Heart-Risk Check (educational). Not a clinical risk calculator — for clinical 10-year risk, see sources linked below.