Nature has a way of balancing everything out, including the steady population rise. New strains of viruses are formed; cancer still doesn’t have a cure and is responsible for killing millions across the globe. So when the Medical Certification of Cause of Death for 2013 reveals that 4169 deaths in Goa were due to various diseases related to the heart and the circulatory system, it isn’t really surprising. It was a long time coming.
Nationwide, a whopping 29 percent of people have died from diseases related to the heart and circulatory system. The total deaths in Goa in 2013 was 12,196, out of which 4169 were related to the circulatory system and 1269 were from disorders of the respiratory system, which was the second biggest cause of deaths in Goa. The total from just those two amounts to almost 50 percent of deaths in State. This puts lifestyle and other related diseases into focus.
Modern lifestyles are changing, even in Goa, which until a short while ago still maintained that essence of old village life. But globalisation changes everything. Eating habits have changed ; more and more people are eating out regularly. The fast food trend, with fried food becoming de rigeur, doesn’t make matters any easier. None of this was around in the 60s to the 90s, which makes the percentage of deaths related to heart and the circulatory system, among those who grew up in those decades alarming. 46.2 percent of cases in 2013 were among those in their 70s, 40.8 percent of 65 to 69 years olds died of heart related diseases, while for those between 55 to 64, the percentage was 35.2. For those between the ages of 45 to 54, heart and circulatory system diseases claimed 24 percent of deaths.
Now imagine what will happen to those who are now in their twenties and thirties, the demographic which are the largest consumers of ‘unhealthy’ foods in today’s age. Interestingly, a little less than 10 percent of deaths in 2013 were from diseases related to the digestive system. The number of cancer related deaths was almost the same amount.
Death is inevitable, but today’s lifestyles certainly put many in the driver’s seat of a speeding car headed for a wall. There are ways to slow down this process and the need of the hour is a healthy diet. Unfortunately, the prices of fruit and some vegetables are far higher than they were a decade or more ago. Healthy food, from low fat dairy products to oils, lean meat, super foods, gluten free food, nuts and even some legumes are not cheap. What is cheaper though are salted snacks and aerated beverages that contain far more sugar than the daily requirement of the human body. We are not only consuming more calories than we require but our food also has more unwanted fats, sugar and carbohydrates. Balanced diets went out the window years ago, for most people.
This is not just the responsibility of the government, although a stronger agricultural policy with an emphasis on organic farming, and a heavier tax structure on processed food would help. This is predominately the responsibility of the people. We owe it to ourselves and the next generation to inculcate better eating habits, for one. An active lifestyle is another imperative.
