Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Professor Nicholas Ossei-Gerning OBE, has urged Ghanaians to take simple, consistent steps to protect their heart health, emphasising that prevention is far more straightforward than commonly believed.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, 23 February, Prof Ossei-Gerning said many people perceive cardiovascular health as complicated, but managing it effectively is achievable with basic awareness and action.

“I always say that it’s actually a lot simpler than people make it out to be. If you listen to some doctors, you would think that this stuff is complicated. But actually, having good cardiovascular health is fairly straightforward,” he explained.

Know Your Key Numbers

He stressed the importance of monitoring core health indicators, particularly for those with a family history of heart disease, heart attacks, or stroke.

“If you happen to be one whose parents have had heart attacks or strokes at a relatively young age, then you do know that you’re at risk. For these people, you have to be even more cognisant of these numbers,” he said.

Five Major Risk Factors

Prof Ossei-Gerning identified five critical risk factors contributing to heart attacks and strokes:

Diabetes

High blood pressure

High cholesterol

Cigarette smoking

Obesity

“These risk factors have to be managed,” he emphasised.

He advised a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) of around 26–27, while noting that cholesterol targets depend on individual risk profiles. “Generally, you need to be below three. If you’ve had a heart attack before, then your LDL cholesterol will have to be below 1.4,” he said.

For blood pressure, he recommended “roughly 130 over 80” as a healthy reading, and strongly advised against smoking.

Exercise and Lifestyle

On physical activity, he encouraged consistent movement and a balanced diet. “You do it by physical exercise and diet. This stuff is no rocket science,” he said, suggesting that individuals explore dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet and choose what works best for them.

Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., he stressed the importance of remaining active: “If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means, you need to keep on moving.”

Rare Genetic Conditions

Responding to concerns about sudden deaths during exercise, including among athletes, Prof Ossei-Gerning highlighted rare genetic conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that can cause electrical instability in the heart.

“These are rare conditions that the general public should not be concerned about,” he said, advising anyone with a family history of sudden cardiac death to undergo screenings such as an ECG and a heart scan.

Bottom Line

For the wider population, regular movement remains the most effective preventive measure. “30 minutes four times a week is adequate,” he said, noting that even brief daily activity is beneficial.

“Whatever you can do, even if it’s just walking around your house for 10 minutes, is better than doing nothing. The more you exercise, the better it is. But doing something is better than doing nothing. You’ve got to do something. I don’t care what it is, but you’ve got to do something,” he concluded.

Profile of Professor Nicholas Ossei-Gerning

Professor Nicholas Ossei-Gerning OBE is a UK-based interventional cardiologist with more than 30 years’ experience in general and interventional cardiology, with specialist expertise in vasculogenic erectile dysfunction.

A consultant at the University Hospital of Wales and Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, he also practises privately at St Joseph’s Hospital in Newport/Cardiff. In Ghana, he played a leading role in establishing the Euracare Advanced Diagnostics and Heart Centre in Accra and remains a visiting professor. He notably travelled from the UK to perform an emergency cardiac intervention at the 37 Military Hospital in 2017.

An alumnus of Mfantsipim School, he trained at University College Hospital, London, earning his MBBS in 1990 and later an MD. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. In 2024, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to interventional cardiology in the UK and Ghana.