Politicians live on the high-risk side of an imminent heart attack as their profession is highly stressful.

Malaysian Heart Foundation chairperson Dr J S Sambhi said that politicians' lifestyle encourages them to eat, get obese and smoke a lot.

“They are constantly invited to all the events and have to eat to make the host’s happy,” Sambhi added.

If they do not change their lifestyle they were in the danger zone of getting a heart attack.

He was grateful to Dr Mahathir Mohamed as he was the one who mooted and saw the implementation of the Institute Jantung Negara (IJN).

“When Mahathir had a heart attack and saw that increasing number of Malaysians were getting heart attacks, he initiated the IJN. He contributed to its rapid growth,” he told the media after Nestle’s Walk-A-Mile at Taman Tasik Perdana, in conjunction with World Heart Month, held today.

Held annually, Walk-A-Mile is part of Nestle’s continued commitment towards inspiring Malaysians to take positive steps towards better heart health by adopting healthier lifestyles.

“Heart disease has become the number one killer in Malaysia with high cholesterol as one of the leading causes. In fact, nearly one in two adult Malaysians suffer from high cholesterol (approximately 47.7 percent), with an alarming 42 percent of them being under the age of 40,” Sambhi said.

Unhealthy eating habits 

However, most Malaysians are still unaware of this. The high numbers are a result of unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise and fast-paced lifestyles that are common among many Malaysians.

High cholesterol does not discriminate and can affect anyone regardless of their age, gender, weight or fitness levels.

“Most people believe that high cholesterol only affects a specific group of people like those who are overweight or older people. This is not true as everyone practicing an unhealthy lifestyle is at risk,” said Sambhi.

“Looking at the statistics, Malaysians, especially the younger generation need to make heart-healthy habits a priority otherwise their poor lifestyle choices are putting them at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases.

“The first step in managing heart health is to ensure one gets regular cholesterol and other heart-related checks. The checks will help you understand your health conditions better so that you can take the proper steps to care for your heart,” Sambhi added.

“We need to be proactive in caring for our hearts by adopting healthier and more active lifestyle habits which include eating a balanced diet and getting regular physical activity,” said Nestle’s business executive officer (Dairy) Ng Su Yen.

“Walking is an excellent way to stay active – as demonstrated by everyone here today. They have shown that making a pledge to practice heart-healthy steps is easy for everyone to do. This is in line with Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing the quality of life and contributing to a healthier future for all.”