Immigration to Britain raises heart disease risk
their risk of heart disease, largely due to a change in diet, shows
new research.
Researchers at The University of Manchester's Medical School also identified frequent occurrence of untreated risk factors, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol and undiscovered diabetes, among Asian immigrant populations.
The British population has one of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in the world, and people from the Indian subcontinent living in Britain are amongst the most susceptible to heart attacks and strokes.
The Manchester researchers, along with a team from Birmingham and India, measured directly the change in cardiovascular risk factors associated with migration to one area in the UK.
They studied 537 Gujaratis, and compared the lifestyles, eating and physical exercise patterns of those living in Sandwell with those remaining in their villages of origin 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."
"Our findings suggest that 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."
He added that the researchers were surprised to find that levels of physical activity did not actually differ between the sites, probably because nutritional intake in India was quite low.
Drs Jeetesh Patel & Elizabeth Hughes, who ran the work in Sandwell, added: "Diabetes and sugar intolerance were common in both India and Britain, but in Britain were more likely to occur in association with raised blood pressure and raised cholesterol."
"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 the University's Dr Deepak Bhatnagar. "Along with the rest of the population they should strive to maintain a healthy diet high in fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish and poultry and low in fats and refined sugars. Specific efforts by both men and crucially women to take more exercise are also needed."
Professor Paul Durrington, senior author of the report, concluded: "The most important message for people of Indian origin living in Britain is that we found a lot of untreated risk factors, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol and undiscovered diabetes. Community leaders and the NHS should encourage all South Asian origin communities to make much greater use of medical services that screen for these factors whilst young, which could prevent a lot of unnecessary disease."
