Former cricketer Mark Ramprakash bats through the second innings of his life to tackle cholesterol issues in the South Asian community.

Renowned ex-England cricketer and former Strictly Come Dancing champion, Mark Ramprakash, has launched a new documentary with Novartis UK and HEART UK in the latest phase of their Get Back in the Game Campaign, to raise awareness of the importance of understanding and managing cholesterol, particularly for those who have had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, especially among the South Asian community.

The documentary shows Ramprakash exploring the journeys of two players from the Middlesex Seniors Cricket Team, Sharath and Chetan, both of whom have experienced heart attacks, and their road to recovery.

In the documentary, Ramprakash, tells his own experience of his father having a stroke: “In my family, my father had an incident, where he had a stroke in 2008. He’s now recovered, happily and fully well. But looking back and understanding, that these things can run in the family, and I think at the end of this process I really want to have learned more about Cardiovascular health, at this time of life.”

Ramprakash, through his journey in the documentary, speaks to Sarath Jetty and Chetan Malhotra, both cricketers from Middlesex, both of whom have survived heart attacks.

Chetan Malhotra, who lives in London, shared his experience: “I woke up one morning, not feeling well, I felt a bit uneasy. I felt, as any South Asian family would say, ‘oh you’ve got an acid attack’, too much curry last night, but this was not the same, I called an ambulance as it was really bad. It was the middle of November, very cold and I was sweating buckets.

“Luckily the ambulance did come quickly, they did a few tests, and informed me that I was suffering from a heart attack. I was in a state of shock, I was awake and within the golden hour, they opened up my artery, which was blocked. They had a balloon angioplasty on me, they kept me in recovery for one day.

“After my attack, it was very difficult to comprehend that I would be playing again. It was very difficult and depressing. I asked my doctor, he was a bit surprised, he said just monitor your heartbeat, using your Fitbit or whatever watch you wear. If it crosses a limit, stop whatever you are doing”.

“It was a very difficult time,” he adds.

Sarath Shetty, who lives in Langley, recalls his heart attack event: “I was just going to work, it was seven or eight in the morning, I was on M4, I was unable to control the steering with my right hand. I thought there was something going on, some paralysis or stroke, the pain was getting worse, I felt discomfort, I saw that I couldn’t control the car properly. So, I took the exit, rushed to A&E, and told them something’s not right in the right-hand side. They told me you’re having a heart attack; you’re going through one now, but don’t worry you’re in the safe place.

“There are no warning signs, that’s the thing about heart attacks. I was laughing at the doctor, asking him, ‘are you sure’, because I didn’t believe it, because I don’t have any issues, I play sport regularly. The doctors said, its mainly got to do with blood pressure, yes cholesterol levels are there, but stress level is an important factor.”

Close to half of people in the UK are living with total cholesterol levels above national guidelines, increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease. Those who have had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, are at increased risk of having a further one, with nearly half suffering another on average 114 days later.

The documentary also shines a light on the impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the South Asian community, in which health outcomes are significantly poorer, as around 50% are more likely to die prematurely from coronary heart disease relative to the general population.

South Asian people are also more likely to develop health problems that can lead to heart disease, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes – diabetes is up to six times more common in South Asian people as per Heart UK.

Getting back into the game of life after a cardiovascular event, like a heart attack or stroke, can be daunting. However, with the right measures in place, you can manage your cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health.

Cardiovascular health can be improved by making simple changes to dietary habits and they way food is cooked. Steps can be as easy as simply switching to a non-stick fan to add any tadka in the food and switching from frying to baking or poaching.