World Heart Day 2025: Don’t Miss a Beat
Every 29 September, the world comes together to celebrate World Heart Day, an initiative led by the World Heart Federation to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This year’s theme, “Don’t Miss a Beat”, reminds us that loved ones around the world are missing out on time they should still have to spend together due to early deaths from CVD.
The statistics are sobering, yet they also offer hope. While 49,000 people under the age of 75 die from cardiovascular disease every year in the UK, up to 80% of heart disease and stroke cases are preventable.
Understanding Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels. It’s usually associated with a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of blood clots. These can include diseases which are inherited or that a person is born with, as well as those that develop later, such as coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke and vascular dementia.
In the UK, the scale of cardiovascular disease is significant. There are over 7.6 million people living with CVD in the UK (over 4 million males and over 3.6 million females). Even more concerning, CVD causes around a quarter (26%) of all deaths in the UK; that’s more than 170,000 deaths a year, or 480 each day – one every three minutes.
The Power of Prevention
CVD is one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK, but it can often largely be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle. Understanding the modifiable risk factors and how lifestyle choices impact heart health is crucial for prevention.
Key Risk Factors You Can Control
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the most important risk factors for CVD. If your blood pressure is too high, it can damage your blood vessels. In the UK, an estimated 30% of adults have high blood pressure (that’s around 16 million adults), and up to half of them are not receiving effective treatment.
Smoking
Smoking and other tobacco use is also a significant risk factor for CVD. The harmful substances in tobacco can damage and narrow your blood vessels. The impact is substantial: at least 15,000 deaths in the UK each year from cardiovascular disease can be attributed to smoking.
High Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in the blood. If you have high cholesterol, it can cause your blood vessels to narrow and increase your risk of developing a blood clot. Research shows that high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol is associated with 1 in 5 heart and circulatory disease deaths in the UK.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes your blood sugar level to become too high. High blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels, making them more likely to become narrowed. The connection between diabetes and heart health is significant: in the UK around a third of adults with diabetes die from cardiovascular disease and are 3-5 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than adults without diabetes.
Physical Inactivity and Obesity
If you don’t exercise regularly, it’s more likely that you’ll have high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and be overweight. All of these are risk factors for CVD. Nearly 3 in 10 adults (29%) in the UK have obesity, and it is estimated that 27% of children in the UK have a BMI defined as overweight or obese. In the UK, around 1 in 9 CVD deaths are associated with a high BMI.
Your Action Plan for a Healthy Heart
There are several lifestyle changes that you can make that will significantly reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease:
- Stop Smoking
If you smoke, quitting is the single most important step you can take for your heart health. The NHS Better Health website can provide information, support and advice to help, and your GP can also provide advice and support and prescribe medication to help you quit.
- Adopt a Heart-Healthy Diet
Healthy eating isn’t about cutting out or focusing on individual foods or nutrients. It’s thinking about your whole diet and eating a variety of foods in the right amounts to give your body what it needs.
A balanced diet includes low levels of saturated, low levels of salt, low levels of sugar, plenty of fibre and wholegrain foods and plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Eating healthily can be tasty, simple and fun. It’s about making small, long-term changes and enjoying the food you eat.
- Get Moving
Adults are advised to do at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as cycling or brisk walking. Exercising regularly will help keep your heart healthy. When combined with a healthy diet, exercise can also help you maintain a healthy weight.
- Moderate Your Alcohol Intake
If you drink alcohol, try not to exceed the recommended limit of 14 alcohol units a week for men and women. If you do drink this much, you should aim to spread your drinking over 3 days or more.
Don’t Miss a Beat
This World Heart Day, take the time to consider your own heart health. Whether it’s committing to regular exercise, improving your diet, quitting smoking, or simply scheduling that health check you’ve been putting off, every positive step counts.
The World Heart Federation is calling on governments to act now, with a plan to help 500 million more people get the treatment they need by 2030. But individual action matters too. By making heart-healthy choices today, you’re not just reducing your own risk – you’re ensuring you don’t miss a beat with the people who matter most to you.
Remember: heart disease is largely preventable. Your heart health is in your hands.
For more information on cardiovascular health, visit:
- NHS: www.nhs.uk/conditions/cardiovascular-disease/
- British Heart Foundation: www.bhf.org.uk
- World Heart Federation: https://world-heart-federation.org/world-heart-day/
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult with a healthcare professional for personalised medical guidance.
