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...