A new study presented at the 2012 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress reveals that the annual flu vaccination could also reduce the risk of heart attacks and provide protection against other infections.

Researchers led by Dr Jacob Udell, a cardiologist at Women's College Hospital and the University of Toronto, analyzed clinical trials published on the subject since 1960 and found that flu vaccination could reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by as much as 50 percent and reduce the number of heart attack deaths by 40 percent.

"For those who had the flu shot there was a pretty strong risk reduction. The use of the vaccine is still much too low, less than 50 per cent of the general population; it's even poorly used among health care workers. Imagine if this vaccine could also be a proven way to prevent heart disease", Dr Udell said.