Friday, February 3, 2012 is National Wear Red Day – a day when Americans nationwide will take women’s health to heart by wearing red to show their support for women’s heart disease awareness. Although significant progress has been made in increasing awareness among women from 34 percent in 2000 to 57 percent in 2006 – most women fail to make the connection between risk factors and their personal risk of developing heart disease. Heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined.
Women can take steps to lower their risk of developing heart disease. If you’re a woman ages 40-60, it’s especially important that you begin right away to lower your risk. That’s the time when a woman’s risk of heart disease starts to rise. Younger and older women also need to act now. Heart disease can begin early, even in the teen years. But it’s also never too late to improve heart health – even for those who may have already suffered from a heart attack.
What is Heart Disease? Coronary heart disease is the main form of heart disease. It is a disorder of the blood vessels of the heart that can lead to heart attack. A heart attack happens when an artery becomes blocked, preventing oxygen and nutrients from getting to the heart. Often referred to simply as heart disease, it is one of several cardiovascular diseases, which are diseases of the heart and blood vessel system. Other cardiovascular diseases include stroke, high blood pressure, angina (chest pain), and rheumatic heart disease.
There are several risk factors for heart disease. Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease. They can also increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse. Important risk factors for heart disease that you can do something about are:
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol
- Smoking
- Being overweight
- Being physically inactive
- Having a family history of early heart disease
- Age (55 or older for women)
Some risk factors, such as age and family history of early heart disease, can’t be changed. For women, age becomes a risk factor at 55. After menopause, women are more apt to get heart disease, in part because their body’s production of estrogen drops.
So, what can you do to keep your heart healthy? Here are a few tips for heart health:
Don’t smoke, and if you do, quit. Women who smoke are two to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than non-smoking women. Smoking also boosts the risk of stroke and cancer.
Aim for a healthy weight. It’s important for a long, vigorous life. Overweight and obesity cause many preventable deaths.
Get moving. Make a commitment to be more physically active. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.
Eat for heart health. Choose a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, and moderate in total fat.
Know your numbers. Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL, triglycerides), and blood glucose. Work with your doctor to improve any numbers that are not normal.
Remember to support women’s heart health by wearing red this Friday, February 3.
Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners’ Courts of Texas Cooperating.
