Let your lifestyle touch your heart

Dubai - By 2020, 60% of adults will be at risk for or suffer from diabetes or obesity

Cardiovascular diseases have been attributed to being the leading cause of death worldwide. More people worldwide die annually from CVDs than from any other cause.
An estimated 17.5 million people died from CVDs in 2012, which represents 31 per cent of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.4 million were due to coronary heart disease and 6.7 million were due to stroke, said Dr Wael Al Mahmeed, consultant cardiologist and former president of Gulf Heart Association.
"In the UAE, CVDs continue to represent one of the leading causes of death, with 30 per cent of deaths attributed to CVDs. According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), up to 50 per cent of people dying from cardiovascular diseases in some Gulf countries die before the age of 60 due to poor diet and lack of exercise.
A report from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) showed that nearly 37 per cent of Emiratis between the ages of 35 and 70 suffer from hypertension.
"While in some cases, hypertension is mainly due to genetics, in most cases it can be blamed on lifestyle. With higher levels of obesity, there is a greater probability that the UAE women will develop diabetes and associated illnesses including heart disease, and hypertension," he said.
CVDs are a group of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels, and range from diseases of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle, brain, arms and legs, damage to the heart muscle and heart valves, malformations of heart structure as well as blood clots. The most important risk factors of heart disease to consider are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use.
"Aspirin therapy which thins the blood is a preventative measure that can reduce the risk of major CVD events such as heart attacks and strokes. It can be used as a secondary prevention measure among individuals who have experienced a heart attack or stroke to prevent additional events," explained Dr Wael.
Prevention remains the key component to help reduce the risk of CVD. Studies have shown that carrying out more than 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week can help reduce risk of coronary heart disease by about 30 per cent. Other determining factors include quitting smoking as well as balancing a healthy nutritional diet.
"In order to reduce the rising number of CVDs in the UAE, individuals need to be better educated on how to reduce the risks," he said.
There is also the need for increased government investment through national programmes aimed at prevention and control of CVDs and all chronic diseases.
In line with this, the UAE Government has set up a 2021 vision to achieve a world-class healthcare system which seeks to reduce the number of lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease and ensure a longer and healthier life for its citizens.
asmalizain@khaleejtimes.com
Frightening facts
By 2020, 60% of adults will be at risk for or suffer from diabetes or obesity
Six of the 10 countries with the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world are from the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE
More than 66 per cent of men and 60 per cent of women in the UAE are overweight or obese
Social causes of diabesity in the Middle East
Asma Ali Zain
 Despite the 2008 global economic downturn, the last decade had witnessed an unprecedented energy boom which has resulted in rapidly increasing wealth in the Middle East, particularly in the oil and gas-rich Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
This exceptional growth in prosperity has put the UAE on the global map, but on the other side has also brought with it rapid changes in lifestyles that have resulted in a significant rise in chronic diseases. In particular, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes, obesity and what has now been identified by experts as 'diabesity' has increased dramatically.
Diabesity is a blended word combining diabetes and obesity to catch the attention that these troublesome diseases deserve. Obesity is just a visible sign of the changes taking place within our bodies.
According to the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean, by 2025, the number of people with diabetes is expected to more than double in the region.
The economic growth in the past decade throughout the Mena region has directed more of the labour force towards the service sector and low physically active lifestyle.
"As a result of this change, we are witnessing an increase in cases of 'diabesity' in epidemic proportions globally, and particularly in the Mena region, which has the highest prevalence of diabetes in adults," according to a health expert.
An overall lower standard of fitness of a country's population not only increases the burden of healthcare costs, but indirectly adds to the cost due to more and more missed work hours by the adult population, coupled with the economic burden of loss of productivity.
Major drivers of this epidemic are demographic changes with increased life expectancy and lifestyle changes due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation.
Last week, a nation-wide long-term study involving thousands of UAE nationals was initiated in Abu Dhabi to find the root causes of diabetes and ways to protect the young generation from the disease.
New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) launched the 'UAE Healthy Future Study' that will recruit 20,000 UAE nationals.
Brigadier Dr Abdulla Al Naeemi, head of medical department, consultant cardiologist, Zayed Military Hospital, said: "The latest figures on the number of diabetics in the UAE are so shocking and that's why we have come up with this study to find out the root causes of the disease.
"The findings of this study will help us ensure that future generations of our country lead healthy and long lives."
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai