Bengaluru doctors’ warning that bypass surgeries are on the rise among citizens in their thirties has set off considerable alarm about the health of the urban young. The change has been recorded over the past decade, with bypass surgeries on the younger population increasing by 30 percent—a rise that has been sharper since the Covid pandemic. Much has been debated and written about how the pandemic has affected all aspects of human health, especially heart conditions, and whether it is the virus itself or the lasting effect of the vaccine. Either way, the pandemic appears to have contributed to heart attacks in some measure—the government recorded 32,457 people as having died of heart attacks across India in 2022, up from 28,413 in 2021.
Bengaluru could be taken as a microcosm of the health scenario among urban Indians. The sudden burst of health consciousness during the pandemic has waned and people are back to indulging in unhealthy habits such as consumption of processed foods, smoking and physical inactivity. Stress remains a big contributor, especially among the IT workforce in India’s Silicon Valley, where long work hours lead to some unenviable lifestyle choices.
It should be a dire warning that the average age of cardiac patients is falling every year. Until a decade ago, bypass surgeries were rarely associated with citizens in their twenties and thirties. This sudden generational shift does not bode well for urban populations that will need to introspect on lifestyle choices revolving around screen usage. Experts warn that the cocktail of poor food choices, erratic timings, lack of discipline and pollution will cost younger generations dearly; they stress the need for a nutritious diet and early detection of ailments. Working with the Indian Council of Medical Research, the National Institute of Nutrition has released comprehensive dietary guidelines for Indians not long ago. It has set new thresholds for the consumption of sugar and salt, and strongly discouraged processed foods and sugary beverages. These guidelines should be taken seriously. While more schools are doing their bit to inculcate healthy habits among children with traditional, wholesome food, we can hope that the coming generations make wiser choices and this health crisis is only an aberration.