First Sidharth Shukla, then Puneeth Rajkumar – heart attack kills! Doctor on healthy lifestyle

Puneeth Rajkumar, son of Kannada cinema legend Rajkumar, died on Friday at the age of 46 after suffering a massive heart attack (October 30). The sudden death of the actor, who was a fitness enthusiast and a regular at the gym, shocked his fans, but it raises the question of how a seemingly ‘healthy’ and fit person – in his 40s – died of a heart attack. Another young actor, 40-year-old Sidharth Shukla, died in September from a massive cardiac arrest.

Concerning the phenomenon of people who appear fit but suffer heart attacks despite being young, Dr Viveka Kumar, Principal Director and Chief of Cath Labs, Max Healthcare, stated, “What we must understand is that there is a difference between being fit and being healthy. Healthy means not just physical fitness, but mental fitness as well – keeping stress under control, a decent lifestyle, and adequate sleep are all very important.”

Dr. Viveka Kumar highlights the following critical points:

– Not everyone who appears fit is healthy. Physical fitness must be combined with mental health and enough sleep.

– Smoking is harmful to one’s heart. Tobacco use in ANY form is also harmful.

– Exercising is critical. In a 24-hour period, one should walk more than 10,000 steps.

– Once again, over-exercising is a bad thing. It can be harmful to walk more than 30,000 steps per day on a continuous basis. Exercise on a regular basis, but in moderation.
– If you walk less than 5,000 steps per day, you are living a sedentary lifestyle and are just as likely to develop heart disease as a smoker, even if you don’t smoke! Do the math if you smoke on top of that!!

– Getting an adequate amount of sleep (between 7 and 8 hours) is critical. Sleeping less than 6 hours and sleeping more than 10 hours on a regular basis are both harmful to one’s health.

– Limit your intake of sugar and salt, as they can cause or worsen diabetes and high blood pressure, both of which are directly related to heart health.

– Yoga and meditation are important because stress is the leading cause of death. Financial stress is one of the most common types of stress. Celebrities, even if they are physically fit, often experience a great deal of stress as a result of their fame and popularity.

– After the age of 40, regular health checkups are required, even if you appear to be or are actually in good health. Early detection and treatment, as well as preventive check-ups, can all save lives. Checkups should begin at the age of 35 if there is a family history of diseases such as heart attacks.

– Yes, men are more susceptible to heart disease than women because hormones protect the latter. This, however, is no reason for anyone, man or woman, to take their heart health for granted!