Physical inactivity, the lack of a healthy diet and a diabetes epidemic are to blame for the steep rise of cardiovascular diseases in Singapore
Singaporeans’ urban lifestyle is a silent killer. Rapid industrialisation and urbanisation over the past 50 years have changed the habits of people living in urban areas, resulting in more sedentary lifestyles, a less healthy diet and a steep rise in cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes. One in three Singaporeans die from the growing silent epidemic of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks, heart failure and stroke.
The warning was highlighted at the CardioVascular Clinical Trialists (CVCT) Asia Forum 2018, hosted in Singapore from 14-15 July and organised with an unrestricted grant by the Menarini International Foundation. Now into its third edition, the CVCT Asia Forum aims to point out the gaps in knowledge and unmet needs that need to be urgently addressed in cardiovascular clinical trials in Asia.
Speaking at the event, CVCT Asia Forum 2018 Course Director, Prof Carolyn Lam said, “One in three Singaporeans die from cardiovascular diseases, affecting both men and women, causing a huge disease burden. Singapore also has one of the fastest rising prevalence of diabetes compared to any other country in the world. It appears that Asians are predisposed to a lean diabetic phenotype, perhaps related to deprivation as kids or even in utero. Statistics show that one in ten Singaporean adults is diabetic, it’s a really a big problem.”
The CVCT Asia Forum continues to be the premier regional forum on cardiovascular health. This year, more than 200 participants and key opinion leaders from across the United States, Europe and Asia gathered to discuss the newest advances in cardiovascular clinical trials and the future of cardiovascular precision medicine.