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Provides and facilitates the support and care for New Zealand children with heart conditions and their families.

Why is obesity a risk factor for heart disease? Among obese individuals, triglyceride levels are unusually high, while HDL levels tend to be low; both of these situations are risk factors for heart disease. A recent study involving tissues collected from autopsies of 3000 men (15-34 years old) who had died of external causes (not heart related) identified an association between obesity and coronary atherosclerosis.

For years, heart disease has been associated most prominently with middle aged men. However, recent studies have put this myth to rest. Dr. Robert Beaglehole , WHO Director of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, states that "the old stereotype of cardiovascular diseases affecting only stressed, overweight, middle-aged men in developed countries no longer applies." In fact the burden has shifted from gender to economics

You should always keep in mind that whatever actions you do today can either help to prevent, delay or minimize the effect of heart disease or worsen it. The key is to control risk factors. Granted that you cannot control every risk factor for heart disease such as family history but you can definitely do something about your behavior. Age and gender also influence your risk of heart disease.

It started in the spring of 2005. More accurately, it probably started at least several years before that. A change in employment, reduced wages, long term care and the subsequent loss of my mother – in short, tons of stress. Couple this with bad eating habits, menopause, and less of the right kind of exercise you have a heart attack waiting to happen. During that spring I noticed that I would easily get out of breath when climbing stairs.