Migrating is Hazardous for Your Heart

Researchers at the University of Manchester’s Medical School have found Gujarati migrants in Sandwell, UK, have significantly higher risk of contracting cardiovascular disease (CVD) than their counterparts in villages in Gujarat.

“We found that people who had migrated to Sandwell were at considerably greater risk of CVD,” said Professor Kennedy Cruickshank. “On average people in Britain had much higher body mass, blood pressure, blood cholesterol and inflammation levels, because they consumed more calories in the form of fat and relatively less unrefined carbohydrates.”

Cruickshank said, “Time-pressured, urban lifestyles in the UK involve a greater fat and calorie intake than would be typical in Gujarat, due to the prevalence here of processed and convenience foods and red meat. In combination with Western lifestyle differences and labor-saving devices, the result is often obesity and associated health risks.”

CVD is the leading cause of death among Indian migrants in Canada, USA, South Africa, and Singapore as well as urban India. The United Kingdom has among the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in the world, with South Asians topping the charts.

“People migrating from South Asia to the West need to be aware of the risks associated with the change in lifestyle they will experience,” said one the study’s co-author Dr Deepak Bhatnagar.