Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Experts dish out food for thought

Staff Reporter

`Healthy Heart Awareness Walk'

WALK WITH A MESSAGE: Students, carrying heart-shaped balloons, taking out `Healthy Heart Awareness Walk' In the city on Sunday. — PHOTO: S. JAMES

MADURAI: Parents should derive the essence of health awareness campaign and inculcate healthy food habits in their children, Collector D. Raajendiran said.

Receiving the participants of the `Healthy Heart Awareness Walk,' organised in connection with the `World Heart Day' by the Apollo Speciality Hospital and Ladies Circle, Madurai City, here on Sunday, he said more such awareness programmes should be conducted for children as they would in turn educate their parents.

A. Madhavan, Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, said the waistline for men should be not more than 90 cm, and for women 85 cm. Obesity was a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke, he said.

T.N. Sekar, General Manager, said a World Health Organisation survey had identified that coronary artery disease would be the cause for two third of deaths in the country by 2020. Advocating vegetarianism, he said fast food and fried items had replaced traditional food varieties resulting in high cholesterol level. Moreover, people did not go for health food such as salads or fibre-rich food, which had increased the probability of heart attack among Indians, he said.

Experts, who gathered there, suggested a 30-minute brisk walk a day to reduce risk factors of cardiac ailments. They also advocated a balanced diet, which included plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat products, unsaturated soft margarines and oils such as sunflower, corn, rape seed and olive oil, lean meat, fish and pulses.

The Walk started at Gandhi Museum and traversed Collector Office, Madurai Aavin Dairy to reach Apollo Speciality Hospital. Participants of the walk included, students from Mahatma Montessori Matric Higher Secondary School, Vikaasa School and Le Chatelier MHSS and members of Ladies Circle.

Earlier, S. Davidson Devasirvatham, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), flagged off the walk, M. Easwaran, Commandant, VI Battalion, Tamil Nadu Special Police, S. Pandian, Secretary, Gandhi Museum, Dr. Rohini Sridhar, Medical Superintendent, Apollo Speciality Hospital, participated.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Competitions marked by guts and glory
Police sound alert in southern districts
Experts dish out food for thought
"Men more prone to paralytic stroke"
Bitter memories come back to haunt victims living with humiliation
National network of SHGs to be launched shortly
Venkoba Rao passes away
Varsity to play host to theatre contest
PT demands land for the landless
Medical camp
Around the City
In Madurai Today
Reporter's Diary

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu