Bupa Supports Heart Disease Research

Private health insurance company, Bupa are committed to improving health. Their Bupa Foundation is a medical research charity which has been supporting and encouraging health research for 30 years. The recent winners of the Epidemiology Award have found a link between walking speed and the risk of heart disease.

The study, conducted by Dr Mark Hamer of University College London (UCL) and his team, has uncovered a very simple correlation between slow walking speed and an increased risk of heart disease. The implications of this research is that this simple measure could provide a very cost effective and easily implemented, first-stage, diagnostic tool.

Dr Mark Hamer said:

'We knew from previous research that physical fitness and function are key indicators of health for older people. Our challenge was to use this information to develop a simple, non-intrusive test that could identify early signs of heart disease risk – and walking provided the answer. By monitoring the speed at which older people walk just three eight foot journeys, we can now estimate an individual’s risk of heart disease.'

Deputy chair of the Bupa Foundation and medical director at Bupa ,Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen said:

'Cardiovascular disease accounts for nearly 40 percent of all deaths in the UK, so finding an easier way to spot the signs of the disease in older people has the power to save thousands of lives. This is exactly what Dr Hamer and his team have achieved and we are proud to recognise their important work, by awarding them the Bupa Foundation’s 2009 Epidemiology Award.'

The UCL team won the 2009 Epidemiology Award and also received £15,000 from the Bupa Foundation in order to continue with their research.

Heart conditions are covered by most general health insurance policies although there are several companies that do specific medical insurance cover for cancer and heart conditions. These conditions are the most common serious health conditions in the UK.

Such reduced cover policies cover you for the most common conditions whilst at the same time reducing your premiums.

Bupa: Select Heart and Cancer Policy
Axa PPP: Essential Health Cover policy covers cancer, heart and stroke