Where medical advice and culture meet

Also: An HIV game changer? [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser]( September 17, 2024    Hi CommonHealth reader, We all know diet and exercise are critical to our health. We may even have discussed these things with our doctors. But medical advice about diet and exercise doesn't always account for a person's cultural background - for example, the types of dishes they commonly eat at home - and it doesn't always consider genetic factors. This is what prompted the launch last year of an initiative at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, called the South Asian Cardio-Metabolic Program. The program aims to prevent and treat conditions such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease and kidney disease - specifically for people of South Asian descent. Why focus on this particular group? The reason is South Asians - a population including those who originate from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and several other neighboring countries - are at especially high risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases. And standard medical tests can sometimes miss risk factors in South Asian people, such as elevated lipoprotein (a), a type of cholesterol linked to heart disease, according to Dr. Sarju Ganatra, a cardiologist at Lahey. Ganatra directs Lahey's program for South Asian patients - one of just a few such programs in the country, he said. Ganatra and his colleagues often speak to patients in Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali and other South Asian languages to help them feel comfortable. I met Ganatra at his clinic to learn more about this work. Here are a few highlights from our conversation: Priyanka Dayal McCluskey: Tell me about this new program and how you decided to launch it. SG: In the United States, South Asians have four times higher risk of being hospitalized with coronary artery disease compared to other ethnic groups. Many of the heart attacks occur, unfortunately, at a very young age - less than 40 years of age.  The risk of diabetes, the risk of stroke, the risk of chronic kidney disease - all these things are much higher in the South Asian population. Their outcome is also worse when they encounter these diseases. It's not unusual for us to see a young, relatively healthy person of South Asian origin come to our critical care unit with a cardiac arrest, and things like that, because of blockages in the heart artery, and undetected or under-recognized risk factors. PDM: What do we know about why South Asians may be at higher risk for these diseases? SG: One undeniable fact is genetics. South Asians have genetic factors which lead to high risk for developing blockages in the blood vessels. The other thing is lifestyle. There is a higher tendency for high-carbohydrate, high-fat food consumption. And, I think, lesser awareness and prevalence of regular exercise. PDM: Tell me about prevention. What's the ability to intervene and prevent some of these bad outcomes? SG: I think it's humongous. We have seen time and again that patients have a traditional risk profile done, but it is not individualized based on their race and ethnicity, and their own risk factors. I think that's what this program adds, is identifying the risk properly. Because if we don't identify the risk properly, we can't prevent it properly.  Many times we see that you have a normal cholesterol panel. But if we scratch just a little bit deeper, we see that the same individual ends up having a relatively higher risk of heart disease, and we change the direction of how that person should be managed. That allows us to prevent more effectively. PDM: We all hear about diet and exercise from our doctors. What are you offering that's different from the traditional approach?  SG: What we're trying to do is address these things in a more culturally sensitive and acceptable fashion. Every population is a little different. Their dietary habits are different. Their beliefs are different. And different things work for different people. We try to understand where they're coming from, what their beliefs are, and try to incorporate that into our suggestions and treatment plans. Ganatra acknowledged that he enjoys the occasional samosa (who doesn't?) but generally recommends limiting fried food. He reminds patients that traditions like fasting and the mind-body practice of yoga, which have deep roots in South Asian cultures, could also help improve their health today. Check wbur.org in the weeks ahead for more on this story. Priyanka Dayal McCluskey Senior Health Reporter This Week's Must Reads [This preventive drug could be a 'game changer' in ending the HIV epidemic]( In newly released data, lenacapavir, given via a twice-yearly injection, has shown remarkable effectiveness at eliminating HIV transmission during sexual contact. But its cost could be an issue. [Read more.]( [This preventive drug could be a 'game changer' in ending the HIV epidemic]( In newly released data, lenacapavir, given via a twice-yearly injection, has shown remarkable effectiveness at eliminating HIV transmission during sexual contact. But its cost could be an issue. [Read more.]( [Exhausted? Irritable? It could be undiagnosed iron deficiency]( Around a third of women of reproductive age could have low iron. But doctors don't routinely screen for the condition, though it can lead to anemia. Symptoms include exhaustion, headaches and more. [Read more.]( [Exhausted? Irritable? It could be undiagnosed iron deficiency]( Around a third of women of reproductive age could have low iron. But doctors don't routinely screen for the condition, though it can lead to anemia. Symptoms include exhaustion, headaches and more. [Read more.]( [For people with opioid addiction, Medicaid overhaul comes with risks]( More than a million Americans use Medicaid to get addiction treatments like methadone. But as states update their systems, some patients have lost coverage. Even a short gap can be life-threatening. [Read more.]( [For people with opioid addiction, Medicaid overhaul comes with risks]( More than a million Americans use Medicaid to get addiction treatments like methadone. But as states update their systems, some patients have lost coverage. Even a short gap can be life-threatening. [Read more.]( [The latest on where Gaza's polio came from - and the race to contain it]( There's one confirmed case. And likely hundreds more. As experts try to identify the source of the virus in Gaza, a huge vaccine effort wraps up stage 1 and gears up for the critical stage 2. [Read more.]( [The latest on where Gaza's polio came from - and the race to contain it]( There's one confirmed case. And likely hundreds more. As experts try to identify the source of the virus in Gaza, a huge vaccine effort wraps up stage 1 and gears up for the critical stage 2. [Read more.]( [Senators slam Steward Health Care CEO, plan contempt vote]( U.S. senators on Thursday called Steward Health Care's CEO the poster child for corporate greed in health care and scheduled a vote to hold him in civil and criminal contempt. [Read more.]( [Senators slam Steward Health Care CEO, plan contempt vote]( U.S. senators on Thursday called Steward Health Care's CEO the poster child for corporate greed in health care and scheduled a vote to hold him in civil and criminal contempt. [Read more.]( What We're Reading 📚 - How Does Pregnancy Change the Brain? Clues Are Emerging ([The New York Times]( - What warning labels could look like on your favorite foods ([The Washington Post]( - That's Something That You Won't Recover From as a Doctor ([The Atlantic]( Support the news Your Health [People who exercise have healthier belly fat, new study finds]( Here's another good reason to keep exercising. A study finds people with obesity who exercise can store more fatunder the skin instead of around their organs, which is much better for their health. [Read more.]( [People who exercise have healthier belly fat, new study finds]( Here's another good reason to keep exercising. A study finds people with obesity who exercise can store more fatunder the skin instead of around their organs, which is much better for their health. [Read more.]( 🧠💥 Did you know...💥🧠 ...there's a prize for scientific research that not only makes people think, but makes them laugh? [The Ig Nobel awards]( go to researchers focused on the quirky aspects of science. One winner, for example, conducted experiments to test his theory that plants can see. 👀 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.](   [Donate](   # # Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences](.   I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.   Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here](. Trustees of Boston University on behalf of WBUR, 890 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA, 02215, US Copyright 2024 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.