Despite major progress in the diagnosis and treatment, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of death, premature disability and increasing healthcare costs worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, of the 56.4 m deaths in 2015, CVD accounted for 15 m, around 7.4 m from coronary heart disease (CHD) and 6.7 m following stroke.1 While many developed countries have recently seen a decline in cardiovascular mortality rates, no such improvement was found in lower-income countries, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for approximately half of the global burden of CVD.2 This is due not only to demographic changes and urbanization, but also to increased tobacco smoking, poorer diet, more sedentary lifestyles and increased prevalence of obesity, factors that have led to an increasing prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes mellitus.