Take heart and get on right track

AWARENESS around the importance of heart health has never been stronger.

- BY KEITH FALKINER

IT'S often said that a healthy heart is a happy heart.

Most people, to their credit, do want to live healthier lives and fitness crazes have become more common here in Ireland.

Yet beside all that, this country is also still battling an obesity crisis.

Many people are living more sedentary lives than in previous decades, and when you couple that with a diet filled with fatty foods, it's a recipe for disaster.

So it's little surprise that almost 10,000 people die from heart-related conditions in Ireland every year.

On top of that an estimated 600,000 people live with a cardiovascular condition in this country.

However, up to 80% of early heart attacks and deaths from stroke are preventable so there's much that can be done.

And now the World Heart Federation (WHF) is partnering with sports organisations, hospitals, universities, and businesses to urge people to commit to a month of exercise as part of the battle to tackle heart disease.

In Ireland, cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death, accounting for nearly 10,000 annually, with 9,000 caused by heart disease and stroke combined.

Meanwhile, an estimated 600,000 people live with a cardiovascular condition in this country.

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