INDIA :We have weaker hearts than Americans: Study

4 Out Of 5 Indians Are Inactive

Mumbai: There is now statistical proof to say that urban Indian lifestyles are queering the pitch for the Indian heart. Born with thinner arteries and at genetic risk for cardiac diseases, Indians are worsening their risk for heart diseases with poor physical activity, a highfat diet and by steadily shunning fruits and vegetables. 

    A study released at the World Congress of Cardiology in Dubai on Thursday said four of five Indians led an inactive life and about half were on a high-fat diet. Called the Indian Heart Watch (IHW), spanning 11 cities and covering 6,000 men and women, it was offered as the first-ever study on risk factors for heart diseases in India. 

    "The study showed risk factors are now at higher levels in India than in developed countries and regions such as the US and western Europe,'' said the study's researchers. 

    Indian Heart Watch looked at three lifestyle factors — physical activity, diet and smoking—as well as biological factors like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure. Shockingly, even smaller towns showed higher incidence of smoking.