Dr. Daisy Baldwin is an assistant prof with MUN’s Faculty of Nursing and says there are differences between heart disease and stroke but they are intertwined.
February is Heart and Stroke Month and last week’s guest on Bayfm’s the Plain Truth, highlighted a stat that only half of Canadians know they have risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Dr. Daisy Baldwin is an assistant professor with MUN’s Faculty of Nursing and is also a spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She says there are differences between heart disease and stroke but they are intertwined; while heart disease is plaque build up and stroke is when clots travel from the heart to the brain. Baldwin says they have shared modifiable risk factors, meaning if changes are made to everyday lives, these risks can be reduced. These include not smoking or vaping, adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet, limiting alcohol, obesity, and stress. She says there are medical modifiable risk factors like high blood pressure, which can be caused by diet and can be lowered by reducing salt intake and stress. Baldwin says high cholesterol and diabetes both contribute to plaque build up in the arteries which can lead to a heart attack and heart disease in general. She says 9 out of 10 people have at least one modifiable risk factor.
For more information go to the heartandstroke.com
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