Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi dies at 46 after collapsing in the gym; are people over 40 more at risk?

Actor Siddhaanth Vir Surryavanshi passed away Friday at the age of 46 after collapsing while working out at a gym, actor Jay Bhanushali said, confirming the death to . Survived his wife Alesia Raut and their two children, he is famous for his roles in popular TV shows including Kkusum, Waaris, and Ziddi Dil Maane Na.
Prior to Siddhaanth, popular stand-up comedian Raju Srivastava passed away in September this year after suffering “a mild heart attack” while working out at a gym in New Delhi. These recent celebrity deaths while working out have once again put the spotlight on the link between strenuous exercise and heart health.
As such, we reached out to experts to know who is more at risk of collapsing while working out. “People who have abdominal obesity are particularly more at risk of collapsing. We label them as patients suffering from metabolic syndrome. If someone has BMI over 25-27, is suffering from comorbid conditions like diabetes and high cholesterol levels, has previous cardiac diseases, is a chronic smoker and alcoholic, or is a drug abuser – they are more at risk,” Dr Shrey Srivastav, Internal Medicine, Sharda Hospital said.

Agreeing, Dr Subhendu Mohanty, Cardiolog, Sharda Hospital said, “People who smoke, are not used to exercising but suddenly start doing rigorous workouts, and those who have preexing conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc., are at risk”
Dr Vivek Sharma, Associate Consultant, Head- Preventive Cardiology, Fortis Hospital, Greater Noida added that people over 40 years of age are more susceptible to collapsing while working out because they lead a sedentary lifestyle. “The 40+ section has a very sedentary lifestyle. More often than not, they work till late at night, have improper diet habits, and smoke regularly. The actors, especially, take different supplements while working out which are not really recommended health experts. The use of steroids usually goes against their health.
Dr Srivastav, too, stressed that people who are taking steroids for the gym, too, are more susceptible to collapsing while working out.
People who are not used to exercising but suddenly start doing rigorous workouts (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
Additionally, he explained that when somebody wants to lose weight very quickly, they end up doing exerting exercises in the gym. “Because of that, there’s a sudden loss of flow of blood to the brain. This is called cardiac arrest. As such, the gym-goer can go into a coma,” he said.
Dr Sharma highlighted the need for routine health screenings. “It can happen in a young person who hasn’t undergone routine checkups. Some people join the gym and have an attack a few days later. This is because their tolerance is less. The lack of knowledge of gym instructors, too, contributes to the same. In India, we spend a lot less on our health and don’t undergo routine health screenings. In some cases, we found that the patient had poor heart function and they joined the gym to get fit. But, due to the low heart function, they collapse and get a sudden cardiac death.”

How to avoid?
Dr Srivastav led the following measures one must keep in mind.
*It is important to understand that there are no shortcuts to losing weight.
*Don’t follow social media suggestions but the proper guidelines given the gym instructor while working out.
*Lose weight through proper exercises for a long duration. “You should not lose more than 10 per cent of your total weight in a month,” he said.
*Follow an adequate diet.
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