Ontario Health Study

10/07/2026

Mental health is an important part of overall health. World Mental Health Day falls on October 10th, and it is a reminder to check in with ourselves, support one another, and make our well-being a priority.

At the Ontario Health Study, participants like you are helping researchers better understand the many factors that influence health and well-being. Your contributions are helping to create knowledge that can benefit future generations.

Thank you for being part of this important research.

10/01/2026

Your data at work: Could a simple blood test help spot breast cancer risk years before a diagnosis?

A new study used OHS data to look for biomarkers in the blood that could be used to detect breast cancer several years before a traditional diagnosis.

Over eight years, breast cancer was diagnosed in 6.2% of people placed in the higher-risk group, compared with 1.8% of those in the lower-risk group.

This research is promising, but the blood test is not ready to diagnose breast cancer or replace mammograms. With more study, it may one day help doctors decide who could benefit from earlier or more frequent screening.

For now, the best step is to follow recommended breast-screening guidance and speak with a healthcare professional about your personal risk.

Learn more:

cfDNA methylation breast cancer signals were detected years before diagnosis, suggesting a future role in risk-adapted screening alongside mammography.

09/29/2026

☕️ Happy National Coffee Day!

Coffee is a daily ritual for many Canadians, and everyday habits like what we eat, drink, and how we move are important pieces of the health puzzle.

Through the HEAL Study (HEALthy Eating and Supportive Environments), OHS participants are helping researchers better understand how lifestyle, environment, and behaviour influence health over time.

If you’re an OHS participant who received an email invitation to the HEAL Study, log into your OHS account & tell us what foods and drinks you typically consume so that we can study the relationship between diet, physical activity, and environmental factors.

NOTE: You can take part only once you’ve received your invitation email. Invites are sent in batches, so watch out for your invite in the near future!

09/24/2026

September 24 is World Cancer Research Day — a reminder that cancer research needs us all.

Our OHS participants are at the heart of helping researchers better understand how lifestyle, environment, genetics, and health history can affect cancer and chronic disease risk over time.

Thanks to the ongoing contributions of our participants across Ontario, researchers have access to valuable long-term health data that can support discoveries in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.

To every OHS participant: thank you for helping make cancer research possible. Your continued involvement helps build a healthier future for people in Ontario, across Canada, and beyond.

09/18/2026

Stretching, laundry, grocery runs: it all counts! 🧺🛒

Since the start of the HEAL study, about 7 in 10 activity recalls across our cohorts included at least one light activity. Thank you to every participant for helping us understand how movement fits into everyday life. 💙

What light activity did you do today? Tell us below! 👇

09/17/2026

CanPath is happy to announce the release of its Baseline Spirometry Harmonized Dataset! Researchers in Canada and internationally interested in studying pulmonary function can now access a dataset with baseline data from a diverse population with over 31,000 participants across 3 CanPath cohorts.

Spirometry is one of the most commonly used tests of pulmonary function and the harmonized dataset contains 50 core variables to study lung function, including calculated best results, single best-effort results and expected values.

CanPath is happy to support research to better understand health and disease among Canadians for a future without chronic disease and cancer. We would love to hear from you, for more information regarding this dataset, please contact the CanPath team.

09/17/2026

September is , and Humphrey is here to steal the spotlight! 🐾 This adorable cat belongs to our Senior Program Manager, Kelly McDonald — and let’s just say, keeping her busy is his purr-sonal mission. 😸💛

09/15/2026

Study participants – THANK YOU! We're excited to share that 10,000 OHS participants have completed the HEAL Study Questionnaire (HEALthy Eating and Supportive Environments).

By sharing information about your diet, physical activity, and daily environment, you're helping researchers explore how these factors affect health and the risk of chronic diseases, including cancer.

Each completed questionnaire brings us closer to new insights that could help improve health for future generations.

If you’re an OHS participant who received an email invitation to the HEAL Study, log into your OHS account and take part today! NOTE: You can take part only once you’ve received your invitation email. Invites are sent in batches, so watch out for your invite in the near future!

09/14/2026

Using xenograft inflammation–recovery models and single-cell multiomics, a haematopoietic stem cell population after inflammatory stress is identified.

09/11/2026

The Ontario Health Study website and participant portal are currently unavailable due to scheduled maintenance, concluding by midnight on Sunday, September 13th. We apologize for the inconvenience.