Matters of the Female Heart

uestion: Which of the following is the greatest health threat to women?

A) Breast Cancer
B) Cardiovascular Disease
C) Lung Cancer

Answer: B. While each are serious health conditions, cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of over 493,000 American women in 2002. Lung cancer took about 67,500 women and 41,500 women died of breast cancer that year. In fact, heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined. Unfortunately, most women don't know that it's their biggest threat or that heart attack symptoms and risk factors are different for women than for men. Read on to learn how to protect your heart.

Women's Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Smoking High blood pressure High LDL and low HDL cholesterol levels Body Mass Index (BMI) score in the obese range Diabetes Menopause Family history of early heart disease

Women's Heart Attack Warning Signs

Extreme fatigue* Pain in the jaw, neck, shoulder, back, or ear* Chest pain or pressure that may radiate to the arm Shortness of breath Nausea with or without vomiting* Feeling of intense anxiety* *Symptoms more common in women than in men

Aside from family history and menopause, each of these risk factors are under our control. The earlier in life you start to make healthy lifestyle changes, the lower your risk for heart disease later on-but it's never too late to make healthy changes. The following lifestyle suggestions promote heart health for women and men of all ages:

• Don't smoke. Each cigarette you smoke is an attack on your heart, lungs, and entire body.
• Keep saturated and trans fats in your diet to a minimum by eating fewer processed foods and fatty foods from animal sources. Eat cholesterol-containing foods in moderation.
• Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer risk. Try to eat the anti-inflammatory foods discussed in the previous article.
• Do some sort of physical activity every day. One hour a day is optimal, but even a little is better than nothing.
• Keep your blood pressure under control. Cut down on salt in your diet, exercise regularly, and talk to your doctor about blood pressure-lowering medication. Ask me for information about the DASH Diet to help lower blood pressure (Nutrition Notes, July 2004).
• If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, get your blood sugar under control. Diabetes increases heart disease risk, especially for women.
• Control your stress levels with yoga or meditation.
• Get your body weight and body fat into healthy ranges, especially if you carry your fat around your middle. I'll be doing body fat testing at many of our stores this month, so check my schedule at www.gelsons.com and come get tested.