Nicolette Dirk
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that South Africa has a two to three times higher incidence of lifestyle diseases than other developing countries.
And lifestyle-related diseases account for an estimated 37 percent of all deaths in the country.
Lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure are largely treatable by regular exercise, a healthy diet and not smoking, the Heart and Stroke Foundation said ahead of World Heart Day tomorrow.
WHO says 80 percent of heart attacks and strokes are preventable.
Foundation chairperson Dr Vash Mungal-Singh said lifestyle diseases were expected to overtake all other causes of death in Africa by 2030.
Heart disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases are responsible for 35 million annual deaths globally, and heart disease and strokes kill 17 million people every year.
Heart disease is the sixth biggest killer, according to StatsSA.
The foundation is encouraging people to be screened so that they know their risks.
The WHO says a balanced diet is crucial for a healthy heart and circulation system.
This should include plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish and pulses, and restricted salt, sugar and fat intake.
Regular physical activity of at least 30 minutes every day helps to maintain cardiovascular fitness while avoiding smoking and is also a way to reduce the risk of a heart attack and stroke.
Quitting smoking has an almost immediate benefit, and the risk of heart attack or stroke drops by as much as half after one year.
According to the South African Medical Research Council, the urbanisation of previously rural African populations has changed disease patterns in the country.
Hypertension, diabetes and stroke are emerging against the background of lingering heart diseases of poverty such as rheumatic heart disease, and tuberculosis.
The council said newly urbanised populations were subject not only to diseases of poor kilojoule intake but, more importantly, to diseases resulting from eating large quantities of high-kilojoule, high-fat food.
This resulted in obesity and diabetes, it said. But the council said non-communicable diseases were on the increase in rural and urban communities of South Africa, and across the ethnic diversity of the country.
Mungal-Singh said regular blood pressure checks were also essential, as high blood pressure had very few or no symptoms.
The foundation will do free health screenings at the Melomed Hospital in Mitchells Plain tomorrow and people can have health checks done for free at Dischem pharmacies until October 4.
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