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Cardiology Insights 2019
March 07-08, 2019
Berlin, Germany
New Horizons in Cardiology
& Cardiologists Education
22
nd
International Conference on
Journal of Heart and Cardiovascular Research
ISSN: 2576-1455
Page 18
Recent trends and advancements in the
prevention of mortality and morbidity
associated with cardiovascular diseases
Harpal S Buttar
University of Ottawa, Canada
H
ealth care burdens associated with premature
mortality and morbidity due to non-communicable
diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs),
respiratory disorders, obesity, diabetes mellitus,
cancers, anemia, musculoskeletal abnormalities, and
neurodegenerative problems are escalating worldwide.
Though these diseases generally manifest in middle
age and beyond, it is now recognised that roots of
these diseases lie in childhood and adolescence.
The conventional risk factors of CVDs consist of
hypertension, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, and
hyperglycemia. Lifestyle factors including tobacco
use, lack of exercise, unhealthy dietary habits, and
low socioeconomic status contribute heavily to the
development of obesity, diabetes and CVDs in children
and adults. Sugar-loaded beverages and excessively
salted foods are also potential risk factors. Diets
rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, olive oil,
fish, low-fat dairy products, probiotics, and moderate
wine consumption are linked with lower incidence of
CVDs. Lifestyle modifications such as regular physical
activity (about 30 min/day), restriction of caloric and
sodium intake, smoking cessation and moderate
alcohol consumption are recommended for improving
cardiovascular health and quality of life. Ingestion of
phytosterol-enriched foods, micronutrients (vitamins,
minerals), and amino acids assist to improve overall
health beyond basic nutritional functions. Emerging
evidence suggests that dietary supplements containing
flavonoids and antioxidants modulate gene and protein
expression and thereby modify endogenous metabolic
pathways and homeostasis, and consequently reduce
the risk of CVDs and chronic diseases multifactorial
in origin. Given the scope and prevalence of CVDs, a
cost effective population health strategy - ‘prevention is
better than cure’ - would be the most appropriate model
to adopt to curb CVD-related mortality/morbidity and to
reduce health care cost.
Biography
Dr. Buttar received his degree in Veterinary Medicine in 1961 from the
Punjab University, Chandigarh, India. Before coming to Canada, he
was Lecturer for about 2 years in the Department of Pharmacology
(1961-1963) in his first alma mater, College of Veterinary Medicine,
Hissar. In January 1964, he was awarded an overseas scholarship by
the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where he com-
pleted his MSc and PhD degrees in Pharmacology in 1966 and 1970,
respectively. After a post-doctoral stint at the Wayne State University,
Detroit, Michigan, USA, he joined as a Research Scientist level-1 (Au-
gust 1971) at the Health Protection Branch, Ottawa, and was promot-
ed to the rank of Research Scientist level-5 in April 1997 (highest sci-
entific rank in the Federal Govt.). SinceMay 1994-Present, he has held
cross-appointment of Adjunct Professorship in the Department of Pa-
thology & Laboratory Medicine, Medical College, University of Ottawa,
Canada. Previously, he also held the positions of Adjunct Professor in
the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Colum-
bia, Vancouver, and at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, St.
Harpal S Buttar, J Heart Cardiovasc Res 2019, Volume 3
DOI: 10.21767/2576-1455-C1-001