RamenRaven Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 A Thai friend asked me, "Why do so many farangs get heart disease?" Good question. Why do Westerners (North Americans, Europeans, Australians) get heart disease more often than Thais? (Assuming this is true, but it really seems like it.) Rough estimate of Thai women married to older Western men - about 1/3 have husbands who have, or have had, some kind of heart, cardiovascular, or blood pressure type ailment. Thais eat a lot of fatty pork (moo sam chan, pork leg, other kinds of pork) and deep fried foods too, which are arguably just as nasty as bacon and fatty sausages. Leading causes of death for Thais seem to be traffic accidents, liver disease from alcoholism or hepatitis, and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proton Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 (edited) from world atlas: heart problems number 2, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/leading-causes-of-death-in-thailand.html keep away from street food muck! schemic Heart Disease And Stroke Cancer (19%) is the leading cause of death in Thailand, followed by Ischemic (12%) heart disease and stroke (10%). Ischemic heart disease and stroke are related illnesses that result from arterial blockages curtailing blood supply to the brain. Obesity, smoking, and atherosclerosis are often seen as the culprit in heart diseases. The problem of foreign fastfood chains entering the Thai market has also increased obesity among the population. The use of palm and coconut oil in cooking street food is another concern which many patronize in Thailand. Edited July 3, 2022 by proton 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubascuba3 Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Fatty junk western diet 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sheryl Posted July 3, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted July 3, 2022 Heart disease is not as rare as you seem to think. It has always been among the top 3 causes of death here. Depending on the year and the study (and whether it was limited to natural causes, or all causes), in 2nd or 3rd place. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacessit Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 The answer is pretty simple - obesity. 20 kg overweight means 20 kg more the heart has to work for. Undoubtedly Thais are catching up, with the proliferation of fast foods. We all know who they are. A village diet is actually quite healthy, small quantities. When I visited America for the first time in 1983, I was astounded by the number of obese people I saw. Then I understood, after seeing what any restaurant put on their plates. I still remember a restaurant called Claimjumpers, in California. They had a cake the size of a 5 gallon drum. If one could eat it all at one sitting, it was free. According to the waitress, a lot of customers made the attempt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhunLA Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 (edited) "(Assuming this is true, but it really seems like it.) ... Rough estimate of" So the OP posted before any research ... hmm Motive ??? Edited July 3, 2022 by KhunLA 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenRaven Posted July 3, 2022 Author Share Posted July 3, 2022 1 minute ago, KhunLA said: So the OP posted before any research ... hmm Motive ??? I already did some research online. https://letmegooglethat.com/ Heart and cardiovascular disease prevalence in the US and Europe, especially Central and Eastern Europe, are indeed higher than in Thailand. Causes are debatable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwak250 Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Back in the UK there was a restaurant called The Hungry Horse the portions were huge. I took my thai girlfriend at the time there and she was not impressed . She said why do you want to eat 1kg of fries with half a cow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubascuba3 Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 1 minute ago, kwak250 said: Back in the UK there was a restaurant called The Hungry Horse the portions were huge. I took my thai girlfriend at the time there and she was not impressed . She said why do you want to eat 1kg of fries with half a cow they go to the thai BBQs for the same reason 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenRaven Posted July 3, 2022 Author Share Posted July 3, 2022 1 minute ago, kwak250 said: Back in the UK there was a restaurant called The Hungry Horse the portions were huge. I took my thai girlfriend at the time there and she was not impressed . She said why do you want to eat 1kg of fries with half a cow Throw in som tam, turn the cow into larb, add chili and fish sauce, supplement the meal with sticky rice, and she will be impressed! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bday Prang Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Probably also got something to do with the medical profession and how people use it as well. A bit like Covid for example, If there is more testing there is more covid and vice versa. Likewise with heart disease , and when you take into account that most people here could not afford the expensive treatments / medicines there is not much incentive for the drug companies and hospitals to get involved. Whereas in the USA and Europe ........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzra Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Life style, diet, activity, stress and worries all the above makes a big different... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluespunk Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 Diet. Lifestyle choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwak250 Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 3 minutes ago, RamenRaven said: Throw in som tam, turn the cow into larb, add chili and fish sauce, supplement the meal with sticky rice, and she will be impressed! Haha yes that was where i went wrong ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callmeishmael Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 The last time we visited California I took my wife to my favorite taqueria and ordered one super burrito. She was puzzled as to why I had ordered only one, but when it arrived she understood! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangkokReady Posted July 3, 2022 Share Posted July 3, 2022 30 minutes ago, kwak250 said: She said why do you want to eat 1kg of fries with half a cow Lack of critical thinking. "Why do you want to eat so much of this thing I don't like? I just don't understand it!" "Of course I eat lots of [weird Thai food], it's delicious! You think too much!" (Not reserved for Thais.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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