Healthy diet can reduce hypertension, health risks: Speakers at World Food Day webinar

The risks of various non-communicable diseases including hypertensive heart disease and deaths are increasing among the population of Bangladesh due to lack of healthy eating habits, said Speakers at a World Food Day webinar today.

According to the World Health Organisation, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity contribute to around 30% of preventable morbidity and mortality from noncommunicable diseases, including morbidity and mortality due to hypertension, reads a press release.

Public health experts and heart specialists highlighted this information at a webinar titled "Eating Habits, Hypertension and Heart Disease Risk and the Needful", organised by research and advocacy organisation PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) on Sunday (16 October) on the occasion of World Food Day 2022. "Leave No One Behind" is the theme for World Food Day this year.

It was informed at the webinar that one in every five adults in Bangladesh suffers from hypertension, which is very alarming. The speakers said that there is no alternative to ensuring the availability of medicines at the community clinic level to combat the prevalence of hypertension across the country and the necessary budget allocation also must be ensured in this regard.

Professor Dr Md Abdul Alim, Member (Food Industry and Production), Bangladesh Food Safety Authority said, "Foods containing excessive amount of trans-fats increase the risk of hypertension. The trans-fat regulation passed by the government will be implemented within the stipulated time."

Dr Tahmina Sultana, director of Primary Health Care (PHC) and Integrated Thana Health Complex (ITHC) at the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) said that hypertension treatment is being provided in some community clinics which will be gradually spread across the country.

Shamsun Naher Nahid Mohua, head of Nutrition at the Department of Diet and Nutrition of BIRDEM General Hospital said that the risks of hypertension and heart disease can be reduced by avoiding foods containing excessive saturated fat, trans fat and salt.

Dr SM Mustafa Zaman, professor, Department of Cardiology at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) informed at the webinar that promotion of DASH diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and healthy dietary guidelines formulated by the government should be increased to control hypertension.

Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead of Global Health Advocacy Incubator said that GHAI along with its partners is doing advocacy with the government to spread hypertension treatment facilities at the community clinics across the country.

Dr Farzana Akter Dorin, National Professional Officer (Policies for Prevention of NCDs), WHO Bangladesh Office said that the World Health Organization is working to tackle the prevalence of 'silent killer' hypertension.

Bipul Biswas Apon, general secretary, Bangladesh Food and Nutrition Association (BAFNA) and ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA were also present at the webinar as discussants. The webinar was moderated by PROGGA's Coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova. People of different professions from different regions of the country participated in the webinar.