Over the last 40 years, research-driven advances have steadily reduced the number of deaths caused by heart disease and stroke each year.
Over the last 40 years, research-driven advances have steadily reduced the number of deaths caused by heart disease and stroke each year. Yet despite those advances, a Canadian life is lost due to heart disease or stroke every seven minutes.
"We need to move faster," says Bobbe Wood, president of the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF). "We're committed to investing in research excellence in order to have the greatest tangible impact in improving the health of Canadian families every day."
This year alone, the Heart and Stroke Foundation invested more than $38 million into heart and stroke research taking place in medical institutions, universities and hospitals across Canada, bringing its total investment in vital research to $1.39 billion since its launch in 1952.
"Research is the most effective lever we have to create long-term health impact," stresses Ms. Wood.
In late 2013, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Heart and Stroke Foundation announced one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind, the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds.
With funding of $14 million from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and $2 million
from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the initiative aims to identify the early root causes that lead to chronic diseases of the brain, the heart and the cardiovascular system.
The research team is led by three renowned researchers, Sonia Anand of McMaster University, Matthias Friedrich of the Montreal Heart Institute and Jack Tu of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto.
"We'll assess in the usual ways, with questionnaires, physical measurements and blood samples, but the novel part of this study is that each individual will also undergo an MRI of the brain, the heart and the abdomen, so we'll have an opportunity to look at what we call 'early disease markers' or 'subclinical disease.'"
- Sonia Anand
is a researcher at McMaster University
Cancer and cardiovascular disease are the two leading causes of death in Canada, so bringing together researchers who typically "operate in different playing fields" is an important step, says Dr. Anand. "Many of the determinants of cancer and cardiovascular disease overlap. More and more, we're realizing that some things, such as abdominal obesity and the so-called metabolic syndrome, may also be a risk for both types of chronic disease."
The study will include 10,000 Canadians between the ages of 35 and 69. "We'll assess in the usual ways, with questionnaires, physical measurements and blood samples, but the novel part of this study is that each individual will also undergo an MRI of the brain, the heart and the abdomen, so we'll have an opportunity to look at what we call 'early disease markers' or 'subclinical disease.'"
The study is designed to reflect Canada's population, including groups that are often underrepresented in health research. For example, "We're going to nine communities across the country to enroll Aboriginal participants in the study," says Dr. Anand.
The research will also harness the strength of Canada's public health-care system by asking participants in the study to provide permission to use their health-card numbers to follow their health.
Over time, the study will provide valuable new information about individual health, but it will also help inform new research and public policy by providing information about the way that communities influence health. "We often talk about individuals and the risk factors for heart disease like smoking, being overweight, high blood pressure, et cetera. But by studying people in 1,000 communities across the country, we're starting to move upstream to try and understand that communities influence us to behave in one way versus the other," says Dr. Anand.
The study's community audits will track walkability, the availability of healthy food, social networks and also workplace environments, she explains. "You might have a nice home near a green space, but if you spend all of your time commuting, or doing sedentary work and eating from a vending machine, the benefits are offset by the workplace."
From left, Sonia Anand of McMaster University, Matthias Friedrich of the Montreal Heart Institute and Jack Tu of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto are leading a research team that aims to identify the early root causes that lead to chronic diseases of the brain, the heart and the cardiovascular system. Cancer and cardiovascular disease are the two leading causes of death in Canada, so bringing together researchers who typically “operate in different playing fields” is an important step, says noted cardiovascular researcher Dr. Sonia Anand. (PHOTOS: Supplied)
Canadians will play an essential role in research that promises to further reduce the number of lives lost to heart disease and stroke, says Ms. Wood. "When we say that the Heart and Stroke Foundation has invested $1.39 billion in life-saving research, what we really mean is that our generous donors have funded $1.39 billion in research that has made a tremendous difference in the lives of Canadians."
But there is always more to be done, she points out. "Every year, we have many excellent research projects that go unfunded."
"While there are real obstacles to people adopting these healthy changes in their lives, the key to prevention is setting realistic goals, establishing routines and finding fun, active things that you can do with friends, like playing sports, gardening or walking your dog," says Dr. Jack Tu, a senior scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto. "If you do, there is a far greater likelihood that you will stick to it long term."
It's difficult because we establish these habits and dietary preferences in our childhood, so parents in particular need to make good choices for themselves and their kids, creating an environment that is conducive to a healthier lifestyle, adds Dr. Tu. "Sadly, many people have to suffer a cardiac event or see a close family member have a heart attack or stroke before it really hits home."
Fortunately for Brian Campkin, he took his experience seriously, for himself and his family. He started eating healthier, got back to playing competitive tennis and lost 20 pounds.
"What triggered the change for me was when I started re-evaluating my life goals," he reports. "I want to be there for my wife and three daughters."
He has already achieved several of his goals: in 2011, he walked his eldest daughter down the aisle, and just a few weeks ago he met his first grandchild, Landon. "I needed a wake-up call, and when I realized what was at stake, that I was given a second chance at life that my father wasn't, I decided that I was going to make the most of it," he says.