Experts call for urgent curbs on junk food, stronger heart health awareness

Preventive care, healthy lifestyle habits stressed as key to tackling rising heart disease burden

KARACHI: Health experts and academics have sounded the alarm over the growing consumption of junk food and the rising burden of heart disease in Pakistan, urging the government to impose strict regulations and promote healthier lifestyles among the population, especially children and youth.

The call was made at an awareness seminar titled “Don’t Miss a Beat!” held at the University of Karachi (KU) to mark World Heart Day. The event was organised by the university’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC) and attended by senior medical specialists, educationists, and students.

Delivering the keynote address, the Executive Director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Professor Dr Tahir Saghir, described the increasing use of junk food as a “dangerous trend” that is rapidly harming the health of both youth and children.

“If we want to build a healthy society, the government must implement strict and effective measures against junk food,” he warned. Dr Saghir expressed concern that children today lack opportunities for physical activity, as many schools are being built on small plots with no playgrounds or facilities for sports.

He suggested that authorities make it mandatory for every school to have at least one acre or 5,000 square yards of space to ensure students’ physical and mental wellbeing. “We have nearly abandoned the simple and beneficial habit of walking, which was once an essential part of a healthy lifestyle,” he remarked.

Another speaker, Professor Emeritus Dr Syed Nadeem Rizvi, Director of Cardiovascular Services at OMI Hospital, said that heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. “While traditional risk factors like high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes are well known, stress and sleep disturbances are equally critical contributors,” he pointed out.

He explained that stress affects the heart in two ways — acute stress increases the heart rate, while chronic stress damages blood vessels, making them prone to cholesterol buildup. “The process begins as early as the teenage years, between 15 and 20,” Dr Rizvi noted, adding that those who suffer heart attacks in their 50s or 60s often develop the disease decades earlier.

He urged the public to take heart health seriously from a young age, emphasising regular exercise, balanced diets, and mental wellbeing as vital to prevention.

Speaking on the occasion, KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said that the aim of World Heart Day observance is to make people aware of preventive measures and the importance of timely treatment.

He expressed concern that many people in society still rely on spiritual healers and superstitions rather than scientific and medical guidance. “We must believe in science, not myths,” he asserted, adding that diseases like heart ailments can only be controlled through evidence-based research and expert consultation.

He also stressed the need for parents and schools to pay greater attention to children’s diets, physical health, and lifestyle choices. “Educational institutions should not focus solely on academics but must promote health awareness among students,” he said.

Assistant Professor of Cardiology at Dow University of Health Sciences Dr Muhammad Hashim Khan shared alarming statistics, revealing that Pakistan experiences one heart attack every minute and loses a life to cardiac arrest every two to three minutes.

He said that heart disease, which was the sixth leading cause of death globally in 1990, has now become the number one killer worldwide. “Eighty per cent of heart diseases are preventable with timely diagnosis and proper treatment,” he added.

Citing global reports, Dr Hashim noted that the World Diabetes Federation’s 2023 report ranked Pakistan as the country with the highest number of diabetes patients in the world, while none of its neighbouring countries are among the top 20.

Calling hypertension a “global epidemic,” he said that 1.3 billion people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure, with nearly half unaware of their condition and less than a quarter having it under control.

KU Director ORIC Dr Syeda Hoor-ul-Ain, Founder and Chairman of Transformation International, Dr Imran Yousuf also spoke at the event, which was followed by a panel discussion featuring precautions towards improved heart health.

The discussants included Prof Dr Muhammad Harris Shoaib, Prof Dr Fareeda Islam, Prof Dr Farhat Batool, Prof Dr Sobia Aftab, Prof Dr Afsheen Aman, Dr Muhammad Hassan Auj, and Dr Farzana Amir Hasmhi.

Report courtesy: Social Track, Karachi.