OTTAWA — The first nationwide strategy aimed at combating heart disease and stroke would cost $700 million to implement, but could save billions for the Canadian health-care system, top medical experts said Tuesday.

"Heart disease, cardiovascular disease, is Canada's No. 1 health problem. It causes more deaths than any other disease," said Dr. Eldon R. Smith, chairman of the Canadian Heart Health Strategy and Action Plan steering committee. "The predictions are that it will get worse unless we take action."

The $2.5-million action plan, presented Tuesday to federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq in Ottawa, was the result of two years of research and interviews involving a 29-member medical expert steering committee.

The costs of implementing the action plan would be $100 million each year for seven years, but the authors estimate it could save the federal health-care system $7.6 billion in direct costs and $1.6 billion in indirect costs associated with cardiovascular care. Annually, heart disease and stroke costs the Canadian economy $22 billion in health-care fees and loss of productivity.

According to the report, as many as one in nine Canadians over the age of 20 are at risk of developing a factor for cardiovascular disease, with that figure nearly doubling in Aboriginal communities.

Smith attributes this "epidemic" to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, smoking and lack of exercise in northern Canadian populations.

The plan made six key recommendations to fight heart disease and stroke nationwide, including:

- Creating "heart-healthy" environments.

- Helping Canadians lead healthier lives.

- Ending the cardiovascular disease crisis within Aboriginal communities.

- Continuing to reform health care, with improved delivery of patient-centered services.

- Improving the surveillance and electronic medical records system to enhance prevention, care and research into vascular diseases.

- Developing the right number of health-care service providers with the right education and skills.

The plan says that if all the recommendations were met, the number of annual deaths linked to heart disease and stroke can drop by 25 per cent by 2020.

Smith said that although the recommendations are broad in scope, they highlight a need to make healthier foods available, encourage more exercise, and improve Canada's medical care reporting system.

He was optimistic that the recommendations could be implemented successfully with the co-operation of all levels of government, policy-makers, volunteers and industry sectors.

"I don't have any misgivings that it is difficult, but I think . . . we could do it," he said.

For instance, one of the suggestions made in the plan was to establish regulations for the amount of salt added to processed foods such as soups, sauces and frozen entrees sold in Canada.

Smith said by doing this alone, he believes high blood pressure could be prevented in one million Canadians.

Ottawa-resident Stuart McCarthy survived a quadruple bypass last April, a procedure that was the culmination of years of ignoring signs of heart disease.

"Five years ago, I was initially diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but my symptoms got worse," the 49-year-old said. "I kept getting heartburn and I had to keep taking antacids or a glass of milk to soothe my throat."

McCarthy, a father of a 14-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter, said that he wished there had been more awareness about heart health.

"The action plan is a small price to pay for the general health of Canadians," he said. "If I had known it (heart disease) had been there, I would've paid more attention to it. Maybe I wouldn't have had a big scar on my arm and chest right now."

The communications and marketing consultant says since the surgery, he feels like he has been given a new chance at life.

One of the key findings in the action plan was that 80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke can be avoided.

Cardiovascular disease on average typically affects men in their 50s and 60s but the authors say the age of both male and female patients suffering heart attacks, strokes and heart failure is dropping.

The report urges prevention techniques be developed for groups as young as school-age children.

Sally Brown, the CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, said that the implementation of these recommendations will lead to a domino effect of combating other diseases.

"The risk factors for cardiovascular disease are shared with other chronic diseases, including kidney and lung disease," she said. "If we tackle the problem now, the impact will be so much greater."

"If we start now, it will really put the next generation on a different trajectory than we're on. We can make a huge difference."

Brown said that not only are rates for the disease proportionally higher in Aboriginal communities, but cardiovascular disease rates were also higher among people with lower socio-economic backgrounds.

The development of the nationwide strategy involved consultations with more than 1,500 stakeholders and 100 experts in the national and international health community, including Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer.

The action plan was initiated after a private member's bill proposed by Winnipeg MP Steven Fletcher was introduced in the House of Commons in 2005, urging for the introduction of national strategies targeting heart disease and other chronic ailments.