With rising stress levels and erratic lifestyle playing havoc with health, a new study has found that more than half of the population over the age of 40 suffers from metabolic syndrome, a condition which predisposes people to heart attack and stroke.
"As high as 52 per cent of the people in the age group of 40-70 years were found to have metabolic syndrome, a condition signified by combination of factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pot belly and high sugar levels in blood," Dr H K Chopra, consultant, Medicine and Cardiology at the Moolchand hospital, and the lead author of the study, told PTI.The study was carried out over the past three years.
"The results assume significance in the context of India already assuming the dubious distinction of becoming a world capital of diabetes," he said.
These are the people who become diabetics and are prone to heart attack and stroke, he said adding incidence of obesity was also rising in the country. Risk of heart attack and stroke increases by many fold in diabetics.
Besides, these people may also suffer from vascular disease which manifests as pain in calves due to narrowing of blood vessels, he said.
Besides, if the incidence in the people over 60 is considered, as high as 60 per cent of people may be having diabetes and hypertension.
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