India Today – October 08, 2018

OCTOBER 8, 2018INDIA TODAY  47

10 COMMANDMENTS

OF THE 21ST CENTURY

is responsible for 3.2 million deaths.

Urbanisation is one of the leading global

trends of the 21st century. While cities can bring

in opportunities, they also have a significant

impact on health. By 2050, over 68 per cent of

the world’s population will live in cities. Accord-

ing to census reports, India is shifting toward

city life—from 11 per cent in 1901 to 25.7 per

cent in 1991 and 32 per cent now; it is slated

to rise to 41 per cent by 2050. And NCDs have

turned into the top 10 killers in the country.

A just-released study by the researchers of the

India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative

(published in Lancet, September 2018), shows

that the leading risk factors are: dietary (56·4

per cent), high systolic blood pressure (54·6 per

cent), air pollution (31·1 per cent), high total

cholesterol (29·4 per cent), tobacco use (18·9 per

cent), high fasting plasma glucose (16·7 per cent)

and high body-mass index (14·7 per cent).

So how bad is urban living and how can

you protect yourself? Cut out the 10 everyday

tips from CSI and hang it on your wall, to

begin with. And read on to see what experts

suggest about managing the health hazards of

urban living. ■

Do you vape? Your

heart attack risk

doubles if you

do it daily. If you

are also having

cigarette sticks,

then it’s five-fold

(American Journal

of Preventive

Medicine, Aug 2018)

Source: Cardiology Society of India, September 2018

YOU SHALL

Bust stress, don’t

let it burst you

YOU SHALL

Say total ‘No’ to

tobacco in all

forms

YOU SHALL

Use just a

teaspoon of salt

and no more than

6 (for women)

9 (for men) tsp of

sugar a day YOU SHALL

Find ecstasy in

exercising (be

physically active;

30 minutes

of moderate

intensity activity

on most days of

the week)

YOU SHALL

Follow the quarter

plate diet theory

(fill half your plate

with vegetables

and fruits, a quarter

with protein, and

the last quarter

with grains)

YOU SHALL
Ta ke c a r e o f
your LPG [Lipid
(cholesterol),
(blood) Pressure
and Glucose
(blood sugar)]
levels

YOU SHALL

Pursue yoga and

meditation for

physical, mental

and spiritual

health

YOU SHALL

Follow the right oil

ritual: use more

than one oil type/

week, but no

more than 2 (for

adults), 4 (for child)

teaspoon/

YOU SHALL person/ day

Promote safe environment (wash

hands, food, cooking tools; keep

raw food apart; eat hot food;

have boiled/ purified water; avoid

passive smoking)

YOU SHALL

Practise and

preach your

healthy habits

Graphic by TANMOY CHAKRABORTY