New Delhi, April 5
Cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, and osteoporosis - Indians are facing an unhealthy future
burdened with a slew of lifestyle diseases. But instead of expensive
medication and therapy, the cure lies in making exercise a compulsory
part of everyday life, health experts say.
"Indians are
increasingly leading a sedentary and machine-dependent life, which may
seem comfortable but has extremely adverse effects on health," T.S.
Kler, Head of the Department Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute
and Research Centre, told IANS.
Kler said with increasingly
hectic lifestyles, most Indians in urban areas nowadays do not walk to
the neighbourhood store but rather order groceries on phone for home
delivery or drive down.
"We do not climb stairs any more, with
lifts being omnipresent. Riding bicycles to work or to school is not
cool in urban areas any more. Forget adults, this conditioning begins
with children who prefer to stay indoors watching television or playing
video games rather than spending time in the playground," he added.
"We
all know that cardiovascular diseases are today a major health concern
in India. They are the single largest leading cause of deaths in the
country, and relatively younger people are today afflicted by coronary
artery disease," the noted cardiologist said.
Various surveys
done in India have shown that the incidence of coronary heart disease is
8-10 percent in urban areas and 5-6 percent in rural areas.
Kler
said regular exercise can help prevent risk factors for cardiovascular
diseases such as hypertension and type II diabetes. It also keeps the
weight in check.
"Incidences of coronary artery disease can be
reduced substantially if the entire Indian population religiously takes
to physical exercise. Even 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily can be
immensely beneficial. We need a national focus on this less-talked about
subject," Kler said.
According to Rajeev K. Sharma, senior
consultant orthopedics and joint replacement surgery, Indraprastha
Apollo Hospital: "Adequate levels of physical activity decreases the
risk of a hip or vertebral fracture and helps control weight. In fact,
exercise is very crucial for maintaining good bone health, besides
adequate intake of calcium."
"WHO estimates that globally, one in
four adults is not active enough while more than 80 percent of the
world's adolescent population is insufficiently physically active. This
is a dreadful scenario as all these inactive people are making
themselves vulnerable to several health issues," he said.
Osteoporosis-related
injuries such as vertebrae fractures not only cause pain but also
degrade the quality of life, curtail movement and increase dependence.
Since the bone is a living tissue, it becomes stronger when subjected to
exercise, Sharma said, adding that loss of bone mineral density that
begins during the 30s can be curtailed by exercising regularly.
"People who exercise are found to have greater peak bone mass as compared to people who do not exercise."
According
to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the malaise annually
causes more than 8.9 million fractures around the globe.
"Though
exercising can, to a large extent, help in building strong bones, there
is a general lack of an exercise culture in India. This needs to change.
Schools, colleges and other institutions should take the lead in
nurturing an exercising culture."
Harvinder Singh Chhabra,
medical director and chief of spine services at Indian Spinal Injuries
Centre, Vasant Kunj, said Indians generally do not realize the
importance of exercising unless hit by an ailment.
"Many patients
start walking regularly after back pain or osteoarthritis has already
set in their bodies. We tell them they could have delayed it by being
active all their lives," he added.
According to Chhabra, in the
West, there is a lot of focus on physical activity and people are moving
away from sedentary ways of life. "They are junking television and
going for cycling, running, or adventure sports such as rock climbing.
This shift is yet to take place in India."
To make exercise a national culture, apart from awareness, many enabling policy measures are also needed.
"In
urban areas, several environmental factors discourage people from
leading more active lives even if they want to. Lack of public spaces
such as parks and grounds, safety issues on the roads, pollution and
irksome traffic do not allow many people to step out of homes to run or
walk. This needs to change," he said.
The latter half of the 20th
century has brought substantial progress in disease control due to
expansion of health infrastructure. With food and nutritional
consumption also improving for a vast majority of population, life
expectancy in India has gone up over the years. Experts say that deaths
due to communicable diseases have decreased while those from
non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have risen.
NCDs at present
account for 53 percent of all deaths and 44 percent of disability
adjusted life-years lost. Projections indicate a further increase to 67
percent of all deaths by 2030. Cardiovascular disease is the major
contributor to this burden, attributable to 52 percent of NCD-associated
deaths and 29 percent of total deaths.
