How to keep your child’s heart strong

Parents of young children are more concerned about sore throats and bruised knees and rarely does the risk of heart disease cross their minds. However, recent research has made doctors and parents sit up and take a fresh look at the heart health of children. More so since evidence shows regular habits essential to keep cardiac conditions at bay have greater impact when learned during childhood.

Although heart disease is typically deemed an adult problem, recent studies have linked many lifestyle-related cardiovascular events occurring in midlife to classic risk factors like obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking, etc., that start developing decades back, often during childhood.

Sometimes conditions like high blood pressure are manifesting even in childhood and adolescence. This has prompted doctors to advise more rigorous monitoring of cardiovascular risks in children and early interventions to stem them if they show up.

Heart-healthy habits for your children

# Balanced diet: A heart-healthy diet rich in fruits, green vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fat-reduced dairy products, beans, etc is advisable. Proper nutrition provides a great platform for prevention of many cardiovascular conditions, including heart attack and stroke. Try to avoid ultra-processed foods and saturated fats.

# Physical activity: Children must be encouraged to engage in physical activities, be it organised sports, biking, walking or swimming. Paediatricians recommend that children above six should get at least an hour of exercise every day.

# Watch their weight: Being overweight forces the heart to work harder, which can damage heart muscles. Being obese also increases risk of high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes, all linked with heart disease. On the flip side, by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly, if the BMI (body mass index) can be kept within 25, it’s good for the child’s heart health.

# Keep cholesterol in check: Cholesterol makes it harder for the heart to pump blood and a heart-healthy diet in childhood can reduce the risk for high cholesterol levels in adulthood. It is recommended that children with no family history of heart disease, should have cholesterol tests between 9 and 12 years of age. However, if a close relation has CAD (coronary artery disease) or high cholesterol, this screening should begin at the age of 2 years. High cholesterol levels in children must be treated and managed properly.

# Control stress: Chronic stress can result in plaque buildup in the arteries, raising risks for heart attack, heart failure or arrythmias. When you make a conscious effort to control your stress and relax, your children will notice and benefit from it. So, take time out to unwind and encourage your kids to do the same.

# Prioritize good sleep: Regular good sleep is absolutely essential for your child to ensure adequate rest and for warding off heart-health issues later in life. Not enough sleep can even lead to weight gain and poor food choices. Hence creating an appropriate sleep environment at home is crucial.

# Quit smoking: Use of tobacco is bad for heart health of smokers as well as their families. Second-hand smoke harms your child’s health in multiple ways, besides unwittingly encouraging them to take up smoking. So, don’t think twice. Quit smoking today for your and your child’s health.