Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore was arranged by WIPRO for chat with its employees. The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone.

Question:

What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart? Answer:

1. Diet - Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil 2. Exercise - Half an hour's walk, at least five days a week; avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a longtime 3. Quit smoking 4. Control weight 5. Control BP - Blood pressure and Sugar

Question:

Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart? Answer:

No

Question:

It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy person gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspective? Answer:

This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.

Question:

Are heart diseases hereditary? Answer:

Yes

Question:

What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress? Answer:

Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.

Question:

Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart? Answer:

Walking is better than jogging, since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints.

Question:

You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so? Answer:

Mother Theresa, who was my patient.

Question:

Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases? Answer:

Extremely rare.

Question:

Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age (I'm currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age? Answer:

Cholesterol accumulates from childhood.

Question:

How do irregular eating habits affect the heart ? Answer:

You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused.

Question:

How can I control cholesterol content without using medicines? Answer:

Control diet, walk and eat walnut.

Question:

Which is the best and worst food for the heart? Answer:

Fruits and vegetables are the best and oilis the worst.

Question:

Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive? Answer:

All oils are bad.

Question:

What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test? Answer:

Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.

Question:

What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack? Answer:

Help the person into a sleeping position, place an aspirin tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to a coronary care unit, since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour.

Question:

How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble? Answer:

Extremely difficult without ECG.

Question:

What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 yrs of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems. Answer:

Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, sedentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.

Question:

Is it possible for a person to have BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy? Answer:

Yes.

Question:

Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true? Answer :

Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may NOT have a software engineer as a child

Question:

Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a times we have to stay late nights in office. Does this affect our heart? What precautions would you recommend? Answer:

When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.

Question:

Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short/long term)? Answer:

Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are extremely safe.

Question:

Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks? Answer:

No.

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