By Abbas Nazil
Heart attacks are increasingly affecting younger individuals, raising urgent concerns about lifestyle, environment, and health trends.
While many still link the rise in early heart issues to COVID infections and vaccines, experts emphasize that long-term demographic and lifestyle shifts are the real drivers.
Modern habits such as sedentary desk jobs, reliance on mechanization, long working hours, lack of sleep, fast food, and screen-based entertainment have replaced the physically active lifestyles of earlier generations.
This drastic reduction in daily movement and healthy routines is fueling an alarming trend of cardiovascular disease among younger populations.
One striking indicator is the surge in edible oil consumption in India.
Per capita consumption has climbed from just 2.9 kg in the 1950s–60s to 8.2 kg in 2001, and now stands at about 23.5 kg annually.
This is nearly double the recommended limit of 12–13 kg per year set by ICMR and WHO.
Experts note that rising incomes, urbanization, aggressive advertising, and the blind adoption of Western diets have all contributed to unhealthy eating habits.
Beyond diet, heart attacks are also linked to complex factors beyond traditional risks such as cholesterol, diabetes, or smoking.
New triggers include air pollution, chronic stress, substance abuse, and conditions like spontaneous coronary artery dissection.
Air pollution, particularly long-term exposure to PM 2.5 particles, is seen as a leading culprit.
Health specialists stress that it is time for course correction through public health interventions.
Japan’s success in cutting coronary heart disease mortality by 61 percent between 1980 and 2012 shows that broad strategies targeting smoking, obesity, cholesterol, and diabetes can work.
Experts believe adopting similar holistic measures in India and other nations could significantly reduce the burden of young-age heart attacks while protecting social and economic well-being.
