Public health experts at a webinar on Sunday said the risks of various non-communicable diseases, including hypertension-related heart ailments and deaths, are increasing among the population of Bangladesh due to lack of healthy eating habits. They also said unhealthy diets and lack of adequate physical activity are responsible for 30 percent of the world's non-communicable and preventable diseases and deaths, including the morbidity and mortality caused by hypertension. Public health experts and heart specialists made the remarks at the webinar titled “Eating Habits, Hypertension and Heart Disease Risk and the Needful”, organised by research and advocacy organisation PROGGA with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), marking the World Food Day 2022. World Food Day is observed in Bangladesh as elsewhere across the globe on Sunday to highlight the millions of people worldwide who cannot afford a healthy diet and the need for regular access to nutritious food. The theme for 2022 is ‘Leave no one behind.’ Speaking at the webinar, Professor Dr Md Abdul Alim, a member (Food Industry & Production), of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, said foods containing an excessive amount of trans fats increase the risk of hypertension. “The trans fat regulation passed by the government will be implemented within the stipulated time.” Dr Tahmina Sultana, Director of Primary Health Care (PHC) and Integrated Thana Health Complex (ITHC) at the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), said that hypertension treatment is being provided in some community clinics, which will be gradually spread across the country. Shamsun Naher Nahid Mohua, Head of Nutrition at the Department of Diet and Nutrition of BIRDEM General Hospital, said that the risks of hypertension and heart diseases can be reduced by avoiding foods containing excessive saturated fat, trans fat and salt. Dr SM Mustafa Zaman, Professor at the Department of Cardiology at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), said the promotion of the DASH diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and healthy dietary guidelines formulated by the government should be increased to control hypertension. Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead of Global Health Advocacy Incubator, said that GHAI along with its partners is doing advocacy with the government to spread hypertension treatment facilities at community clinics across the country. The speakers also said one in every five adults in Bangladesh suffers from hypertension, which is very alarming. “There’s no alternative to ensuring the availability of medicines at the community clinic level to combat the prevalence of hypertension across the country and the necessary budget allocation also must be ensured in this regard.”  

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