New Delhi: Heart disease is no longer restricted to the middle-aged and the old. Long working hours at the desk, little physical exercise and unhealthy eating habits are also taking a toll on working professionals in their late twenties and early thirties, experts say.

According to the India Today-Saffolalife Study conducted on 46,000 urban Indians, 78 percent of those aged between 30 and 34 run the risk of a heart attack, Kanchan Naikawadi, Director, Indus Health Plus (P) Ltd. said.

In last few months, 30-year-old TV actor Abir Goswami and 20-plus Kannada actor Hemanth died of a heart attack.

There is no specific profession that leads to a higher number of heart diseases, but professionals who tend to sit for most of the time are more likely to suffer from such diseases, informs Naikawadi.

"Those from the IT and BPO sector fall under this category. With most of the work happening from desk and minimal physical activity being involved, the chances of risk in such professions are higher," Naikawadi told IANS.

Ravindra L. Kulkarni, cardiologist and co-founder of Just For Hearts, too felt that although every profession contributes to stress, employees of IT companies are more stressed out owing to long working hours, graveyard shifts and unhealthy eating habits.

There are other unhealthy lifestyle practices that cause early heart attacks.

"I have observed that smoking is the biggest risk factor for heart attacks among youngsters. No physical exercise and alcohol intake further increase the risk. High cholesterol levels, diabetes and hypertension are also some of the factors," Amar Singhal, head of department, interventional cardiologist, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, told IANS.

Heart disease, which was earlier associated with older men, is also becoming common among women.

Kulkarni said that till women reach menopause, they are protected against it. But, it has been found that across the globe, approximately 8.6 million women die every year due to heart attacks. He attributed it to changes in lifestyle.