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Heart Report focuses on women’s health, brain health, signs of heart attack and stroke

Feb 13, 2019 | 3:31 PM

February is Heart Month for the Heat and Stroke Foundation, and in 2019 the organization is focusing on women’s heart and brain health, and the signs of a heart attack and stroke.

According to this year’s report by the Heat and Stroke Foundation, a woman dies every 20 minutes from heart disease in Canada, and women are five times more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer.

The report also talks about how people with heart conditions are more at risk of cognitive impairment – things like trouble focusing, trouble with memory or language – that can lead to dementia.

Samantha Berscht, Director of Mission for the Heat and Stroke Foundation – Alberta and Northwest Territories, says it’s not all bad they’ve learned some valuable information from the new discovery. 

“The good news about that is that the connections are there in terms of the conditions, but prevention is also connected. So those things that we talked about in terms of eating well, exercising, quitting smoking, managing stress, not only do those have a great effect on your heart and your brain, but we now know they will lower the risk of developing cognitive impairment.”

Berscht says there are some good habits to get into to help prevent heart disease.

“It doesn’t take much, we when talk about physical activities we talk about 30 minutes, 3 times a week of moderate activity… will significantly decrease your risk. So you don’t have to be running a triathlon, to be getting those benefits from things like exercise.”  

The Heat and Stroke Foundation has had a number of volunteers raising awareness about risk factors and unique signs for women to watch out for. The group says raising money, and they have about 2,000 volunteers out in the cold spreading raising awareness as part of their door to door campaigns.

“We’re seeing the numbers come down, but it’s still too many Canadians that are essentially dying prematurely due to heart disease and stroke, and they’re still a lot of work to be done.” 

Berscht added that these campaigns really do help make people more conscious on how to prevent things like heart disease.

“The needle is absolutely moving, and a lot of that is due to awareness of those risk factors that we have control over. So, as people realize that eating well, and exercising, and quitting smoking have real impact on lowering their risk of having a heart attack or a stroke.”

The Heart and Stroke Foundation is sharing some tips for a happy, healthy Valentine’s Day:

1. Fit in some yummy RED foods with heart benefits like cherries, strawberries, red bell peppers, tomatoes and cranberries.  These are some of the best sources of antioxidants, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease

2. Get moving! Bundle up and take your sweetheart for a walk (even if it’s at the mall) or turn up the tunes and dance in the kitchen.

3. Eat chocolate! This is an easy one — especially since it’s Valentine’s Day. A little bit of dark chocolate (one to two ounces) may help lower blood pressure, and therefore contribute to a healthy heart. Look for chocolate with at least 75 percent cocoa.