Heart disease rising

Heart disease rising

Cardiovascular’ heart disease seems to be hitting poor communities more frequently than of those living in more affluent parts of Cape Town. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA, the disease leads to disability and premature death and has called on government to help create awareness among particularly poorer communities on how to adapt to a healthier lifestyle.
Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, CEO of The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA, told VOC’s Afternoon Cruise that heart disease is the second leading killer in the country after HIV/Aids and that it was critical that people pay attention to its impact. “Cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel disease), includes frequent difficulties, many of which are related to a process called atherosclerosis," Mungal-Singh explained.
"Atherosclerosis is a condition that develops when plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries and the build-up narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through. If a blood clot forms, it can stop the blood flow. This can cause a heart attack or stroke." Mungal-Singh added that the government had already hosted various health events, but feels the issue should be prioritised in order to educate more people.

Mariska Fouche, Public Affairs Manager for Pharma Dynamics, concurred, saying that there was very little information on what is happening within the poorer communities in relation to this disease. She said that once people get the relevant information, they would be able to access resources and tools to help develop a healthier lifestyle.

The team recently embarked on a project to promote this message. “Cooking from the heart is a mission we embarked on, along with a well-known cereal company. This forms part of one of many projects we are busy with, to push the prevention of heart disease. Our aim is to provide educational programs on health and preventing the risk of heart disease within the society," Fouche said.

“We are asking the community to send their favourite meals to us in orde to make it more heart friendly. The top recipes will go into our health book which is set to be launched in September.” Fouche added that book seeks to improve the lifestyle of South Africans, in line with a government directive. “We aim to make this book a practical tool to educate and motivate families, educating consumers on what foods to spend their money on.”

With obesity also huge local problem, Fouche believes that these projects will also benefit children who are also tipping the scale at alarming levels. She said it was critical to start watching diet and lifestyle at an early age to prevent heart disease and obesity later. Those who have recipes for inclusion in the book can email it to Recipe@heartfoundation.co.za or sms 'recipe'm followed by their recipe to 32697.VOC (Aishah Cassiem)