On Sunday, Medibank Medical Director, Dr Shona Sundaraj sat down with the Today Show and discussed heart disease, its prevalence, who is most at risk and the steps Aussies can take to reduce their likelihood of a heart attack.
We also spent some time with Dr Sundaraj to learn more about the condition that impacts 1.3 million Australians.
What is heart disease and how many people does it affect?
Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect the heart. Heart disease includes:
Blood vessel disease, such as coronary artery disease
Irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmias
Heart conditions that you're born with, called congenital heart defects
Disease of the heart muscle
Heart valve disease
Sadly, 1.3 million Australians are living with heart, stroke and vascular disease, that’s almost 7% of the adult population. In 2023, heart disease was the underlying cause of 25% of all deaths in Australia. It is the leading cause of death in males and second largest cause in females.
While eating well and exercising is important, it doesn't always guarantee a healthy heart. Who is most at risk?
A healthy lifestyle doesn’t always guarantee a healthy heart but there are really significant lifestyle choices that can be made to reduce your risk of heart disease.
You are most at risk if you have a family history, smoke, live an inactive lifestyle or have high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes.
We often hear about good and bad fats and how they impact our heart health. What's the truth of it?
There are good and bad fats, good fats can actually protect our hearts.
I recommend that patients reduce the amount of visible fat from meat and avoid deep fried foods as much as possible. We also want to reduce trans fats which come from margarine and processed foods.
Good fats come in the form of omega-3s from fish like salmon. Good fats are also found in nuts and seeds, avocado and olive oil.
What are some ways to reduce the risk of developing heart disease?
Prevention is always better than a cure. Australians need to take their heart health more seriously. Heart disease represents over 5% of hospitalisations in Australia – so looking after your individual health is not only important for you and your family, it’s important for the sustainability of our healthcare system.
So, to reduce our risk, we all need to:
Eat fruits, veggies, omega-3s
Exercise daily, keep moving
Avoid smoking, limit alcohol
Check your blood pressure and cholesterol regularly with your GP
How important is it to have regular screenings, and what exactly should we be checking for?
Regular health screenings are important for so many reasons, not just heart health. I often book an appointment with my GP around my birthday and get all my checks out of the way.
What I specifically recommend for heart disease is:
Screening for hypertension (high blood pressure) over the age of 18
Screening for high cholesterol in your mid-40s, but earlier if you have a family history – this is just a simple blood test from your GP
Heart health checks are a simple and important way to know your risk of developing heart disease, these can be done with your GP also
