Bikes Etc Magazine December 2016 Back Issue

HEART HEALTH: WHAT EVERY RIDER NEEDS TO KNOW
OK, strap yourself in, it’s hard facts time. Heart disease is the biggest killer in the world. Like the worst kind of dirty bomb, it’s a disease that doesn’t discriminate and costs the NHS around fifteen billion a year. In the UK, where one in five smoke and one in four are clinically obese, there are an estimated seven million people living with heart disease right now, and it will kill one in seven men and one in ten women. Someone in the UK dies from heart disease every eight minutes. Shocking stuff, right? But the good news is that, apart from regular riding having a positive impact on your general health, most active cyclists are more in tune with their bodies and therefore more likely to recognise the signs of any health problems before they become serious. But just because you ride, it doesn’t make you immune. Knowledge is your most powerful ally. So here are some useful facts to keep in your locker that might just save your life.