Some disheartening news for immigrants: those seeking a better life in Canada may actually be setting themselves up for a premature death due to cardiovascular disease.
A new study being presented at a meeting of Canadian heart specialists in Toronto shows that while many immigrants arrive healthy, their heart health only gets worse the longer they remain in Canada.
Dr. Scott Lear, a kinesiologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, says he has visible proof of this dangerous trend.
After testing more than 600 immigrants from Europe, China and South Asia for atherosclerosis -- or the narrowing of an artery -- he found the longer they live in Canada, the more plaque builds in their arteries.
"We found that immigrants who spent a longer time in Canada actually had a thickening of their artery walls, which puts them at greater risk of heart disease and stroke," Lear told Â鶹´«Ã½.
For instance, the arteries in the neck normally narrow with age. But researchers found in immigrants they narrow two per cent faster every decade -- a sign that plaque may be building up and boosting their risk of heart attacks and strokes. Atherosclerosis is a leading contributor to both ailments, which are the leading cause of death in Canada.
Lear said researchers believe that stress is also playing a role.
"We think it has something to do with the challenges of coming to a new country, establishing a financial base, getting a job, getting shelter...doing those things to get settled and maybe putting health on the back burner," Lear said.
Dr. Chi-Ming Chow agrees that stress can take its toll on a person's health after witnessing it in many of his immigrant patients at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
Chow said the stress leads many immigrants to develop bad habits.
"They are more likely to eat unhealthy foods as well as fast foods in particular," Chow told Â鶹´«Ã½.
Researchers say one solution is to help new immigrants find family doctors who will monitor their health.
The other option is to design more heart disease prevention programs that target those new to Canada -- so they do find a better life here and not worsening health.
With a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
