Why millennials, Gen Z are more prone to heart attacks

Millennial persons are those who are born between 1980 to 1995 (aged between 25-40 in 2021) and Gen Z are those who are aged 15-24 years today.

In recent days we have been seeing a sprout of episodes of heart attacks in the young generation and those who have excelled in a short period of time; those who have moved very fast in the ladder of success.

Gone are the days when people would get heart problems and attacks at the age of 60-70 years. Indians of the higher socioeconomic class have been shown to get heart attacks at a younger age as compared to the western countries.

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Heart tubes (called Coronary Arteries) which supply blood to the continuously pumping heart get blockages of fat in heart disease.

They are mainly due to wrong lifestyle and then one day the blocks become 100% after the thin membrane covering the block suddenly snaps and leads to clot formation.

This clot chocks the already narrowed tubes. Deprived of blood supply the heart muscles start dying and kills the patient in many cases. Saurav Ganguly, Sidharth Shukla are the latest examples of such cases in recent days. 

The six most important causes of these incidents are - high psychological stress; intake of high-fat food especially during frequent parties; lots of animal foods like meat, butter, cream; No time to do exercise due to overwork; smoking and being overweight.

Most of these young adults have more plans to execute in a short period of time in this era of competition. They spend more, plan more and then take loans - thus work under severe pressure. Many develop high blood pressure and diabetes - which further push them towards a heart attack. 

Also Read: Heart attacks among youth: Experts suggest cardiac screening at high schools, colleges

For relaxation and enjoyment, they frequently go to parties where very high-fat foods are served in the form of cakes, pastries, cookies and fried food. Increased meat intake, alcohol and smoking are the most common accompaniments in such dinner parties.

They sleep late and do not get time to walk or exercise as they cannot get up early. Because of these reasons, most of them turn overweight.

Lastly, some of these young adults have a strong family history of heart disease and their liver makes extra cholesterol and/or Triglycerides. This makes them more vulnerable to develop heart diseases early.

To prevent heart attack few things that can be done by young people are - regular check-ups of Lipid profile ( and if raised take appropriate medicines), regular walks, stop smoking, take plenty of fruits and vegetables, turn low fat vegetarian and practice Yoga.

If they have high BP, diabetes or are overweight - they must try to control them.

(Dr. Bimal Chhajer is a well-known personality in the world of medical science. He is a pioneer in non invasive cardiology in India.)