Heart Disease in Women
American women are 5 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than breast cancer. In fact, heart disease kills more women over 65 than all cancers combined. Luckily, there are some steps you can take to prevent cardiovascular disease.
The biggest factors that contribute to the development of heart disease include age, family history, smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. While you can't change your age or family history, you can alter your lifestyle. To minimize your risk for heart disease, try the following suggestions from the American Academy of Family Physicians:
- Quit Smoking: More 50% of heart attacks in women under 50 are attributed to smoking. If you quit smoking, you can decrease your risk of a heart attack by one-third within two years. You can use nicotine patches or gum, try prescription medicines, or speak with your doctor about the best way to stop smoking.
- Control your blood pressure: High blood pressure can increase your chance of a heart attack or stroke. To lower your blood pressure, maintain a healthy weight, exercise, reduce your salt intake and eat a healthy diet. You can also speak with your doctor about the best way to lower your blood pressure. He may suggest a medication to use in combination with exercise and diet.
- Control your cholesterol level: If you are unsure of your cholesterol level, speak with your doctor who can check it with a simple test. He or she may suggest a medicine if your cholesterol levels are too high.
- Lose extra weight: Being overweight puts extra strain on your heart. Exercising regularly and eating a low-fat diet can help you maintain a healthy weight.
- Exercise regularly: Try brisk walking, swimming, jogging or biking to give your heart a good workout. Remember that the heart is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in shape. Try to exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day, 4 to 6 times a week. Speak with your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen.
- Eat a low-fat diet: Avoid saturated fat and keep fat calories to 30% or less of the total calories you eat during the day.
- Look out for chest pain: If you experience pain in your shoulder, neck, jaw or chest, call 911 immediately. The faster you seek medical attention, the less damage your heart will suffer.
- Be aware of family history: If you have a brother or father under 55 who has cardiovascular disease, or a mother or sister under 65 with cardiovascular disease, you should inform your doctor of this risk.
Women are more likely to die from heart attacks than men, though researchers still have not discovered the reasoning behind this. One theory suggests that women do not seek quickly as men. Another speculation is that women's hearts are smaller and are thus more easily damaged. While doctors continue to research women's death from heart disease, there is no doubt that make small lifestyle adjustments can help lower your risk of heart disease.
