Air pollution has deadly impact on cardiac health: experts

In an event ‘Illness to Wellness’ Summit held by ASSOCHAM Foundation for CSR, health experts highlighted how air pollution has become a very important factor leading to heart disease, surpassing the common perception that it only results in various lung ailments.

“Imagery showing people coughing in air pollution has led to the common perception that it only causes lung diseases. However, we need to understand that the effect of air pollution on heart health is extremely important. Air pollution kills by way of cardiovascular diseases. Particulate Matter 2.5 has the ability to enter the bloodstream and can transform cholesterol in the body into oxidized cholesterol, which can lead to plaque ruptures, a condition that may trigger acute heart attacks,” said Dr. Sandeep Bansal, Medical Superintendent, VMMC & Safdarjung.

Congratulating ASSOCHAM on taking the illness to wellness campaign forward in the past few years, Dr. Manoj Nesari, Advisor, Ministry of Ayush, GOI, while delivering his keynote address, said, “I commend them for taking this message to the schools and especially to children because they are the citizens of tomorrow. Today, India is a young nation, but in 30 to 35 years, we will have the largest number of senior citizens.”

“Saabka Saath Sab Ka Vikas is not just a political slogan;  it also means wellness for all. This vision  encompasses the body, mind and the soul. We also have to integrate various knowledge systems, including allopathy and Ayurveda. To share an example, the incidence of anemia is very high in India, with at least 40 percent of the population, especially women  and children suffering from it. Iron deficiency is not always due to lack of intake but often because of poor uptake in the gut. To address this, we introduced a completely natural, edible formulation in Belgaum, which showed remarkable results. We then expanded this initiative to aspirational districts under Mission Utkarsh. Within a year, we reduced the incidence of iron deficiency from 34 percent to just 2.2 percent,” added Dr. Manoj.

Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairperson, ASSOCHAM National CSR Council, said, “The Illness to Wellness campaign was launched in 2014, it has gained significant traction over the past decade and has raised awareness and disseminated information on a host of targeted health topics. Moving forward, we have identified key focus areas that are likely to benefit the individuals and the society, these include, sanitation and hygiene, promoting gut health, using technology to spread awareness about preventive healthcare, addressing the challenges of air pollution, and increasing collaboration between agencies that have done excellent work in disseminating information on health-related issues. The government is also laying a very strong foundation for a healthier India with several initiatives like Fit India, Khelo India, propagation of Yoga, POSHAN Abhiyan, Eat Right India and much more. I believe that with a clearly defined roadmap, we are well on our way towards a well informed and aware society that will better navigate the health challenges that lie ahead.”