World Heart Day - 29 September

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the world's biggest cause of death, killing 17.9 million people a year: in comparison, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined kill 3 million.

World Heart Day aims to combat the rising number of people with CVD and champion heart health equity. On 29 September, people around the world unite to fight CVD by making and sharing their own campaign posters, holding awareness activities, spreading the word on social media, sharing the campaign videos, organizing fundraising activities for their local heart foundation and illuminating iconic landmarks, buildings or monuments.

The theme for this World Heart Day is ‘My Heart, Your Heart’ — where we are being asked to be a ‘Heart Hero’ by making a promise... a promise to make simple changes for our heart health.

World Heart Day plays an important part to raise awareness of these issues and spread the message of heart-healthy lifestyles in all populations.

How to Celebrate World Heart Day 2019?

This year focus to live longer, better, heart-healthy lives by making a promise.

• A promise to our families to cook and eat more healthily
• A promise to our children to quit smoking and do exercise and help them to be more active.
• A promise as a healthcare professional to help patients lower their cholesterol and give up smoking.
• A promise as a policymaker to aid policies that advance healthy hearts
• A promise as an employee to contribute in heart-healthy workplaces

Strategies that can help

• Check your numbers. A combination of high triglyceride counts and low levels of good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) is risky for the heart
• Dump smoking. The risk of heart attack is twofold higher than the non-smokers.
• Exercise smart
• Get enough sleep
• Jilt work stress
• Know the benefits of garlic. Garlic contains sulphide compounds which not just reduce cholesterol, but also prevent and remove clots
• Lose those extra kilos to reach your optimum weight
• Repair your faulty palate. Eating late at night and having junk food of low nutritional value again leads to obesity, which increases risk of heart attack and hypertension.