Close X
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Rising Diabetes, Obesity Rates Putting Ethnic Groups' Heart Health At Risk: Study

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Aug, 2015 10:04 AM
    TORONTO — Steadily rising rates of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure over the last decade have dramatically increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes among some groups of ethnic Canadians, researchers say.
     
    An Ontario study determined that from 2001 to 2012, diabetes rates more than doubled among South Asian men and almost doubled among black women.
     
    While obesity levels rose among all ethnic groups and sexes, the biggest increase was observed in Chinese men, whose rate more than doubled during the study period.
     
    "We found that the most striking difference was among the prevalence of diabetes," said lead researcher Dr. Maria Chiu, a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto.
     
    "It was most stark among South Asian men. The prevalence of diabetes doubled over the 12-year period we looked at, from seven per cent to 15 per cent, and among black women it also increased, from about six per cent to 12 per cent."
     
    The study, published Monday in the journal BMJ Open, analyzed data from almost 220,000 Ontario residents who responded to Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Surveys from 2001 to 2012.
     
    It is believed to be the first in Canada to examine ethnic-specific cardiovascular risk-factor trends over time.
     
    "We know that people who come to Canada are generally healthier to begin with — this is (called) the healthy immigrant effect — and then the longer they stay here, they pick up the bad habits of the Western culture," said Chiu.
     
    "For example, they eat more fatty foods, they eat more meat, more processed foods, as well as eat between meals."
     
    The analysis showed that black women and men and South Asian men had the greatest increases in risk factors for declining cardiovascular health over the period.
     

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Flawed gene may curb heart attack risk by half

    Flawed gene may curb heart attack risk by half
    Rare mutations that shut down a single gene called NPC1L1 are linked to lower cholesterol levels and a 50 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack, says an Indian-origin cardiologist....

    Flawed gene may curb heart attack risk by half

    Vitamin B doesn't stem memory loss

    Vitamin B doesn't stem memory loss
    A day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Brisbane for the G20 summit, Australia is waiting anxiously for the Indian Prime Minister's overdue visit to commence....

    Vitamin B doesn't stem memory loss

    Personalized Genetic Test Could Predict Prostate Cancer Recurrence

    Personalized Genetic Test Could Predict Prostate Cancer Recurrence
    TORONTO — Canadian researchers have developed a genetic test to identify which men are at highest risk for recurrence of prostate cancer following localized treatment with surgery or radiation therapy.

    Personalized Genetic Test Could Predict Prostate Cancer Recurrence

    Oral cancer virus spreads via oral, genital route

    Oral cancer virus spreads via oral, genital route
    Transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) occurs via oral-oral and oral-genital routes, says new research....

    Oral cancer virus spreads via oral, genital route

    A virus that could affect brain's activities

    A virus that could affect brain's activities
    People with algae virus in their throats had more difficulty completing a mental exercise than healthy people, and more research is needed to understand why...

    A virus that could affect brain's activities

    How mucus in mouth naturally fight cavities

    How mucus in mouth naturally fight cavities
    Salivary mucins, key components of mucus, actively protect the teeth from cavity-causing bacteria, new research shows....

    How mucus in mouth naturally fight cavities