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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | 80% Indians have skewed lipid level, 72% low good cholesterol -Malathy Iyer

80% Indians have skewed lipid level, 72% low good cholesterol -Malathy Iyer

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published Published on Jun 8, 2014   modified Modified on Jun 8, 2014
-The Times of India
 

MUMBAI: Here is a reason why heart attacks kill every fifth Indian: More than three-quarters (79%) of Indians have skewed lipid levels. Any abnormality in the level of lipids - fatty acids that are essential for the working of every cell - can lead to thickening of arteries, and thereby lead to heart problems.

This is a finding of the first phase of a 28-state study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on diabetes, dyslipidemia (abnormal lipid level), hypertension. Data from four regions - Maharashtra (West), Chandigarh (North), Jharkhand (East) and Tamil Nadu (South) - was analyzed to detect the incidence of dyslipidemia among Indians.

Another finding is the low levels of the good cholesterol or HDL among Indians. Dr Shashank Joshi, lead author of the study published in PLOS One medical journal last week, said low HDL level was the most common lipid abnormality among Indians. "Almost 72% of Indians have low levels of HDL."

The finding of the ICMR study that 72% Indians have low levels of the good cholesterol or HDL holds true across the country, be it in Mumbai, Chandigarh or Chennai.

"The reason could well be genetic, but we cannot rule out environmental reasons," said one of the authors of the study, Chennai-based Dr V Mohan. The study's lead author is Dr Shashank Joshi, endocrinologist from Lilavati Hospital, Bandra.

Indian diet is traditionally high on carbohydrates, which have been associated with high levels of fat or triglycerides. "When a person has high levels of triglycerides, he or she will have low levels of HDL. There is an inverse relationship between triglycerides and good cholesterol," added Dr Mohan. Almost 30% of Indians have high levels of triglycerides, according to the study.

While the study found that living in an urban area was a risk factor for dyslipidemia, Maharashtra was a surprise. Dr Joshi said there was little or no difference in lipid levels between urban and rural populations in Maharashtra. In other words, the rural population that was supposed to be more physically active and therefore healthier, is no longer so.

Dr Mohan said Maharashtra's "urban" results are an indicator of things to come for India. "India is rapidly urbanizing. The number of people with dyslipidemia is going to increase. While the trend of low good cholesterol levels and high bad cholesterol levels was known to doctors, we are now finding more people with high levels of total cholesterol. This was thought to be a Western phenomenon that wasn't seen in India," he added.

There is no magic pill to increase the level of good cholesterol. While drug statins can control the level of bad cholesterol, exercise and diet control are the only hope to boost good cholesterol.

Dr Nalini Shah, who heads the endocrinology department of KEM Hospital in Parel, said there is a need for better awareness about the ill-effects of the "extra dense calories we are tucking in" and the "complete sedentary lifestyle we need where all we move is a few buttons''.

"We are seeing 12-year-olds with obesity, dyslipidemia and diabetes because we are not careful about the quantum or kind of food we lay on our tables,'' she added.


The Times of India, 7 June, 2014, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/80-Indians-have-skewed-lipid-level-72-low-good-cholesterol/articleshow/36220960.cms


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