Research suggests that British Columbians of South Asian descent are far more likely to have heart attacks than Caucasians – one of several striking differences among ethnic groups with regard to heart attacks and death rates.
“We’re seeing that South Asians in general have about 50 per cent higher rates compared to whites,” says Dr. Nadia Khan, a St. Paul’s internist and associate professor of medicine at UBC.
Diabetes – linked to poor diet and exercise habits – appears to be the underlying cause behind the high heart attack rate among South Asians, say Khan and St. Paul’s internist Dr. Aman Nijjar, a clinical instructor at UBC.

The Province, Wed Jul 25 2012, Page: A12, By: Ethan Baron, Link to full text