Report urges Canadians to focus on health basics as 80% of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented
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More than six million people across Canada are living with heart disease or stroke, according to a new report that highlights troubling trends and what individuals can do about them.
Nearly one in five deaths in Canada is caused by heart disease or stroke – or One death approximately every seven minutes, heart stroke This estimate was made in its annual report on Tuesday.
The report also notes that the number of Canadian adults suffering from high blood pressure – the top risk factor for stroke and a major for heart disease – has increased every year since 2000, with more than 8.2 million adults diagnosed with this medical condition.
The charity said around 80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke could be prevented through healthy behavior and effective management of medical risk factors such as hypertension or high blood pressure and diabetes.
Canadian adults are doing better on some measures, such as declining smoking rates, but diet, physical activity and stress appear to be a struggle for some.
When it comes to lifestyle risk factors, the report’s authors point to statistics canada The data shows that almost eight in 10 adults and young people eat less than five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Studies have shown that frequency is a useful measure of diet quality as it is considered a proxy for the amount or quantity of fruits and vegetables eaten by Canadians at the population level.
Ultra-processed foods aren’t good for your health, but they are cheap, easy to prepare, and shelf stable. CBC’s Jennifer Yoon explains why it’s hard to stop eating them and what Canada can do to help you consume less of them.
Abby Langer, a registered dietitian in Toronto who was not involved in the report, said she was surprised by how low the intake was.
“The recommendation to eat more fruits and vegetables is very basic,” Langer said. “I think people are looking for something innovative for a quick fix. They just don’t have the basics down.”
While the report’s data on nutrition was compiled before the cost-of-living crisis escalated in Canada, Langer said she thinks affordability is a barrier many people may face when it comes to eating more fruits and vegetables. That’s why she often recommends frozen fruits and vegetables that last longer and come at a lower price.
Beyond diet, author of the reportRS said SSmoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disability, killing 46,000 Canadians each year. In a positive step, the smoking rate among adults is expected to fall from 50 percent in 1965 to 11 percent in 2024.
However, the report’s authors say Canada has the highest rates of vaping among youth in the world, with one in four 12th graders saying they have vaped. Vaping is not harmless, the authors said.
A free way to make physical activity ‘appealing’
Between 2022 and 2024, less than half of Canadian adults (46 per cent) got the recommended weekly physical activity, and youth aged 12-17 moved very little (21 percent) compared with five years ago, when more than a third (36 percent) met the recommendation.
To change habits, governments should follow the same strategies used in campaigns to reduce smoking, such as increasing taxes on unhealthy products and increasing education in schools on nutrition, suggested Dr. Guillaume Pare, a professor of pathology and molecular medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton. Whose research is funded by Heart and Stroke.
As far as “irreversible risks” — those that can’t be controlled — are concerned, about half the risk of dying from heart disease is genetic, the report’s authors said.
have a family history doubly important, pHey said, as families and communities also adopt healthy and unhealthy lifestyle habits.
He pointed to the example of parkrun, A volunteer-run organization that organizes free, weekly, five-kilometre runs or walks, which originated in Britain and has spread globally.
“They are not even initiatives that are funded by our government or the health ministry, but they are absolutely fascinating,” Pare said. “They create a sense of community.”
To address risk factors, Heart & Stroke encourages individuals to:
- Take medicines as prescribed.
- If you drink alcohol, limit it.
- Talk to your health care provider if you have a family history of premature heart disease or stroke.
The group also made recommendations to health care providers, such as directing patients to reliable information.
