KK died of a cardiac arrest: Here's your guide to a healthy heart, risk factors to watch out for

New Delhi: Popular Bollywood playback singer KK aka Krishnakumar Kunnath died of a heart attack on May 31, leaving his millions of fans in shock. KK died shortly after giving a live performance at Kolkata. He was 53 years old and reportedly felt unwell while performing at a concert at Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata and complained about excessive heat at the venue. After the show, he returned to his hotel, where he complained of uneasiness. The singer was rushed to Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) at around 10:30 pm, where he was declared dead.

As per the autopsy report, the cause of KK’s death was a cardiac arrest. The singer’s death has once again sparked a debate on heart health and the repercussions of the modern lifestyle on our hearts.

So how does one prevents oneself from cardiac arrest or other heart ailments despite the stressful lifestyle?

According to Dr Parneesh Arora, Director - of Cardiology (Max PPG), the prime reason behind at least 80% of cardiac arrest cases is a heart attack, which could occur due to several lifestyles and underlying health conditions. This apart from around 20% cardiac arrest heart structural or congenital heart condition.

Heart health: Risk factors

As per Dr Arora, some of the basic risk factors of a cardiac arrest

• Smoking
• Stress
• Diabetes
• Blood Pressure
• Family history
• Alcohol consumption
• Diet

Dr Arora suggests that the first step toward a healthy heart is to look for these risk factors and work on them by improving our diet courses and lifestyle and balancing stress.

How can we prevent heart ailments?

According to Dr Arora, the key step to protecting and keeping your heart healthy is- Balanced Diet and Exercise.

“One must dedicate at least 70-100 minutes per week to exercise to prevent and cardio-muscular issue and maintain stress level in the body too. Additionally, one must maintain a healthy and balanced diet by cutting the level of dietary supplements, deep-fried food, junk food and excessively sugar-rich ingredients will also go a long way,” says Dr Arora.