Latest Heart and Stroke Foundation Stories

Majority say they want quality time as they grow old but their actions don't match their words. This Heart Month, the Foundation urges Canadians to take action and "Make Health Last" OTTAWA, Feb. 4, 2013 /CNW/ - Canadian baby boomers have big aspirations for their golden years, but their current lifestyle choices could keep them from making these dreams a reality. The Heart and Stroke Foundation's 2013 Report on the Health of Canadians titled Reality Check warns that without...

Study compares 'cardio-toxicity' of Toronto-area neighborhoods Your chances of having a sudden cardiac arrest can depend on where you live, warned Dr. Paul Dorian today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2012 in Toronto, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. His study of Greater Toronto Area (GTA) neighborhoods with high and low rates of cardiac arrests found that the factors causing increased risk are complex. "The reasons are more...

Study shows that peer mentoring in schools is a simple, fun and inexpensive way to significantly increase kids' physical activity levels Using peer mentors to enhance school-day physical activity in elementary aged students has been given an A+ from Nova Scotia researchers. And the increased physical activity levels got top grades for significantly improving both academic test scores and cardiovascular fitness levels. Funded principally by the Nova Scotia Research Foundation and...

Researchers find that babies born to mothers who lost weight after bariatric surgery have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than siblings born before the surgery Kids born to moms who have lost a substantial amount of weight after undergoing bariatric surgery have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than their siblings who were born before the weight loss surgery. This is because the metabolic changes and weight loss that occur after the surgery have a positive effect on inflammatory...

Free <30 Days Mobile App gives users control and rewards them for heart-healthy action OTTAWA, Sept. 19, 2012 /CNW/ - The Heart and Stroke Foundation, in partnership with Desjardins Financial Security, today launched a free mobile app - an easy tool to help Canadians make important lifestyle changes that could add healthy years to their lives. The Foundation's <30 Days Mobile App gives users a customized risk profile showing the long-term impact of their daily health...

A mix of real and perceived barriers contribute to shortened lifespan OTTAWA, Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Canadians are so focused on the here and now that they are losing out on the opportunity to live a full and healthy life, warns the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF). Its new survey(1) of more than 2,000 adults found that even though Canadians know how to protect their heart health, the majority can't or won't commit the time to do so. "Eight out of 10 Canadians know that...

New study pinpoints hidden thickening of the arteries in young adults Atherosclerosis – or buildup of fat in the walls of arteries − is thought of as a disorder of older people but it affects a large number of young men and women, according to a new Heart and Stroke Foundation study. "The proportion of young, apparently healthy adults who are presumably 'the picture of health' who already have atherosclerosis is staggering," says Dr. Eric Larose, an interventional cardiologist at...

Open heart surgery may no longer be the only option for third most common type of heart disease A type of medication known as angiotensin-receptor blockers could reduce risk of mortality in people with a heart disease called calcific aortic stenosis (AS) by 30 per cent over an eight-year period, Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher Dr. Philippe Pibarot told delegates at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress. The condition is currently managed with open heart surgery. "Our discovery...

A Heart and Stroke Foundation study has found that women under age 55 fare worse than their male counterparts following a heart attack – and their health status declines more than that of their male counterparts after one month. The AMI55 study found that women between the ages of 20 and 55 had significantly worse physical limitations, more recurrences of chest pain, and worse quality of life than men one month after a heart attack – and, compared to their baseline scores, declined in...

Simulation -- like that used for pilot training -- replicates real-life scenarios, improves cardiac surgical training results Residents in cardiac surgery who receive extra training on a take-home simulator do a better job once they get into the operating room, Dr. Buu-Khanh Lam today told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2011, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Dr. Lam and a multidisciplinary surgical team developed a kit –...