Proper exercise could slash heart disease deaths by 70 per cent

CYPRIOTS are being urged to do more physical exercise to offset heart disease – the primary cause of death on the island.

Addressing a seminar on ‘Exercise and the Heart’ yesterday, Symeon Matsis, the permanent secretary at the Health Ministry, said a large percentage of heart ailments could be avoided through the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, which he defined as stopping smoking, eating healthily, cutting down on alcohol, getting rid of stress and exercising daily.

In many developed countries, such lifestyle measures have achieved a reduction in the number of deaths caused by heart disease of up to 70 per cent, Matsis said, adding: ” It is obvious that every citizen bears a large responsibility for their health, which is determined by the way of life each one chooses to lead.”

It was better to ” adopt the correct way of life at a young age”said Matsis, explaining it was very difficult for people to change habits of a lifetime.

The seminar was one of the events organised as part of the Week for the Prevention of Heart Disease, being held for its seventh successive year.

On Tuesday, Dr Nicos Angelides, the head of the Heart Clinic at the Nicosia General Hospital, said that two per cent of each day — equivalent to 30 minutes — should be devoted to physical exercise. In Europe, people devoted one per cent of their day to physical exercise, while in Cyprus it was less than 0.5 per cent, he said.

Failure to exercise, said Angelides, increased the frequency of heart failure by five times and strokes by three times. Physical exercise, on the other hand, reduced arterial pressure, and increased the level of good cholesterol, as well as decreasing body fat.

Matsis said that 70 per cent of the benefits to health from exercising could be achieved by walking between 20 and 60 minutes each day. Apart from walking, he also recommended cycling, jogging and swimming.