BMI Ross Hall hospital goes red for national heart month

Diseases of the heart and circulatory system account for almost 200,000 deaths every year, with 1 in 5 men and 1 in 7 women dying from heart disease every year in the UK.ii 

Consultant Cardiologist at Ross Hall Hospital Dr Robin Northcote, said: “Heart and circulatory diseases cause more than one in three of all deaths in the UK. That’s over 250 people everyday. There is no one underlying cause of heart disease, however, there are several risk factors that can increase your chance of developing heart disease. These include smoking, high blood pressure or cholesterol, being overweight or obese, a lack of regular exercise, diabetes, or having a family history. So, if you have any of these risk factors, I would encourage you to get yourself checked."

Ross Hall Hospital hopes that by supporting National Heart Month, staff and visitors will learn more about the steps they can take to cut the risk of heart disease. The hospital also aims to raise funds to help support patients, families and carers, as well as research into heart disease treatment and prevention.

Ross Hall Hospital Executive Director Mhairi Jefferies comments, “We hope that our support of this campaign will help to raise awareness and understanding of this disease.”

Top Ten Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy:

1. Eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day - fresh, frozen, dried, canned, cooked or raw.
2. Cut back on your total fat intake particularly saturated fats
3. Eat at least 1 portion of oily fish a week
4. Reduce your salt intake - use herbs to flavour your food instead
5. Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink
6. Exercise moderately for at least 30 minutes five times a week
7. Start getting your children to eat well and be active
8. Start reading and understanding nutritional information on food labels
9. Quit smoking
10. Ensure you eat breakfast - this will help you not to snack on sugary foods later in the day.