People with cardiovascular disease should be especially careful to prevent situations that might trigger an onset, as temperatures can change rapidly in autumn, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said on World Heart Day yesterday.
Temperature differences between morning and evening are usually large, sometimes up to 10°C, after the autumnal equinox, the HPA said, adding that body temperature changes narrow or widen blood vessels, with narrower blood vessels increasing blood pressure and heightening the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
WHO statistics show that an estimated 17.9 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2016, 31 percent of global deaths, the HPA said, adding that heart disease was the second-leading cause of death in Taiwan last year, taking 21,569 lives, an average of one person every 24 minutes.
The number is 53,977 people if deaths caused by cerebral stroke, hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease and vascular disease are included, it said.
HPA Director-General Wang Ying-wei (王英偉) urged people with chronic diseases and elderly people to be alert to changes in the weather and practice healthy habits to protect the heart and prevent acute cardiovascular disease.
Lack of exercise, an unbalanced diet, obesity, smoking, chewing betel nuts and excessive drinking are risk factors that contribute to the “three highs”: high blood pressure, high blood lipids and high blood sugar, the HPA said.
People who have a high risk of cardiovascular disease should eat food with less salt and oil, and steam or boil food instead of deep frying it, the HPA said.
They should also exercise at moderate intensity for at least 150 minutes per week, keep warm, do warmup exercises and exercise with a friend or family member, it said.
They should not smoke and avoid secondhand smoke; get regular health checks to make sure their blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure are at healthy levels; maintain a healthy body weight and make use of government-funded health exams; and take prescription drugs for the “three highs” according to a doctor’s instructions, it said.
World Heart Day is organized by the World Heart Federation on Sept. 29 every year to inform people about cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death and disability in the world, and to promote preventative measures.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
RSS