Good diet, exercise help reduce risk of coronary heart problems

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

What would you do if someone sitting next to you suddenly fainted? A middle-aged woman -- who was attending a health seminar at a hospital in South Jakarta -- shouted in panic when she experienced the same thing.

"Pak ..., Pak ... are you OK? Doc, help!," she shouted, while supporting the head of an unconscious middle-aged man, sitting right next to her. Other participants were also shocked and began to encircled the man.

It was lucky that a cardiologist and some internists were speakers at the seminar. They quickly approached the unconscious man and gave him first aid.

"I was paying attention to the discussion when he suddenly tilted his head over my shoulder. I was shocked to see him unconscious," the woman yelled, still panicky.

Later on, a group of students of the School of Medicine rushed the man outside, escorted by several doctors. The cardiologists comforted other participants and confirmed that the man had suffered a coronary heart problem.

Coronary heart problems occur due to the narrowing of the coronary arteries, which obstructs the flow of blood to the heart muscles, said Fatmawati Hospital cardiologist Eddy Sunaryuniarto at a recent seminar on coronary heart disease.

The symptoms of the disease, he explained, included fatigue, chest pains, breathing problems and irregular heart rhythm.

"In some cases, the symptoms can occur when a person is engaged in strenuous activity and may disappear after taking a rest but then the condition may exhibit no symptoms at all but cause sudden death," he said.

Eddy identified several factors that played an important role in the disease, include age, family history, abnormal cholesterol level, diabetes melitus, hypertension, smoking, being overweight, inactive lifestyle and stress.

Internist from the hospital's diabetes clinic Ida Ayu Kishanti said most people thought of cholesterol in negative ways and did not know that it was also needed to ensure good health.

Ida said cholesterol, which circulates in blood, is an important component to repair cell membranes, is vital for the function of body cells and is required for the production of hormones.

She differentiated "good" cholesterol, known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) from "bad" cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

When the LDL level in the blood is abnormally high, she said, it can create a buildup of plaque in the blood vessel walls, which, in turn, narrows the arteries (also known as atherosclerosis) and increases the risk of heart attack or stroke. HDL can help clear the buildups.

Nutritionist with the hospital Pauline Endang Praptini advised people to adopt a healthful, balanced diet by reducing high-fat food and increasing their daily fiber intake to 30 grams.

High-fiber foods include oatmeal and barley, and a variety of fruit and vegetables that provide water-soluble and insoluble fiber.

"Insoluble fiber will create roughage that helps produce regular bowel movements, thereby preventing constipation and hemorrhoids, while soluble fiber, available in oatmeal, will be transformed into a gel-like substance that prevents the absorption of cholesterol in food, thereby forcing the body to use cholesterol in the blood," she said, citing her own research results.

She added that high-fiber food can extend the presence of food in the stomach so the sensation of being full will remain for longer.

"This will help with weight loss for overweight people," she said, adding that one can consume over 300 grams of fruits and vegetables to fulfill the need of 30-gram of fiber.

Other experts also encourage people to eat more fish and soy products as they can produce HDL cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

Another speaker from the hospital rehabilitation unit Suharyuni Argadikoesoema advised people at high risk to allocate 20 to 30 minutes for exercise, at least three times per week.

While stressing that prior consultation with a physician before starting any physical activity is important, Suharyuni cited walking and jogging as being among the best forms of exercise.