Strategies To Prevent Heart Disease In Women

Your actions today can help to prevent, delay or minimize the effect of heart disease. The key strategy is controlling risk factors.

True, you cannot control every risk factor. For example, family history is considered a risk factor for heart disease. In other words, heart disease tends to run in families. However, this may have as much to do with behavior as genetics; family members tend to eat the same foods, and whether or not family members are physically active or smoke depends a great deal on the home environment.

Age and gender also influence your risk of heart disease. The good news for women is that they develop heart disease later in life than do men. Estrogen levels prior to menopause are thought to protect against heart disease.

Major Risk Factors

Here is a review of key risk factors for heart disease.

Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is a type of a lipid, a soft, fatlike substance that serves as a source of fuel. Excessive cholesterol can cause buildup of atherosclerotic plaque. Accumulation of plaque in arteries can block blood flow and lead to a heart attack. To circulate through your blood, cholesterol and triglycerides (another lipid in the blood) combine with proteins to form lipoproteins.

There are four types of lipoproteins, differing in the ratio of protein to triglyceride and cholesterol. The main types are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

LDL cholesterol, the so-called "bad" cholesterol, is transported to sites throughout the body, where it's used to repair cell membranes or to make hormones. LDL cholesterol can accumulate in the walls of your arteries.

HDL cholesterol, the so-called "good" cholesterol, transports cholesterol to the liver, where it's altered and removed from the body.

Every woman should know her total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. All four values help create your lipid profile, and this profile helps define your heart disease risk.

Women tend to have higher HDL levels than men do, but after menopause, the HDL level often drifts down and the LDL level tends to go up. Diet, exercise and one drink of alcohol per day (for women who already drink) all help to restore an appropriate balance of HDL and LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol-lowering medications, especially drugs called statins, continue to provide great results for women with heart disease and women with an increased risk of heart disease.

Blood Pressure

Normal blood pressure level is defined less than 130 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for systolic blood pressure (the top number in the blood pressure ratio) and less than 85 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in the blood pressure ratio). The higher the blood pressure, the more likely it is to take a toll on the heart and on the brain. High blood pressure is strongly associated with stroke, as well as with heart failure and kidney failure.

How frequently should you get your blood pressure checked? The answer depends on whether or not your levels are high. If your blood pressure is normal, get it checked at least once every two years. If it is high-normal, get it checked once a year. If it's extremely high, you should get immediate care. Because blood pressure varies, it's important to get multiple measurements to know if a high level is sustained over time.

Diabetes

Another risk factor for heart disease is diabetes, a chronic disease of insulin deficiency or resistance. Diabetes is a contributing factor in a significant percentage of heart attacks and strokes. Type 2 diabetes, the most prevalent type, is commonly associated with obesity and may be prevented by maintaining ideal body weight through exercise and balanced nutrition. If you have a first-degree relative with type 2 diabetes, your risk of developing the disorder is especially high.

Tips For Controlling Risk

Lifestyle modification is helpful for controlling high blood pressure, moderating lipid levels and managing or preventing diabetes. Here are guidelines for lowering your risk of heart disease.

Stop Smoking

Don't start smoking. If you smoke, do everything you can to stop. It is the single most important thing you can do for yourself. And not just because of its effect on your heart and your blood vessels. The effect of smoking on your lungs aggravates almost every other medical condition.

Get Active

Routine physical activity is highly recommended and helpful in controlling obesity. Try to perform 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. Fast walking is one of the best things you can do. You may enjoy it more if you walk with a companion or listen to music on a portable stereo.

Keep in mind that if you can lose even a small amount of weight, five pounds for example, it may have a positive effect on lipid levels and blood pressure.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

Limit daily alcohol intake to three ounces or fewer . People who drink large amounts of alcohol (defined as six to eight ounces a day) tend to have higher blood pressure. Alcohol may also aggravate triglyceride levels, as well as make it harder to control diabetes.

Watch What You Eat

Here are common guidelines for eating healthy.

Eat five helpings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Maintain adequate dietary potassium, calcium and magnesium intake.
Reduce saturated fats and cholesterol.

You should also be aware of your salt sensitivity. Women who are salt sensitive retain salt and water as part of the cycle of estrogen. Before your menstrual period, you may notice that your shoes don't fit quite so well, your rings get tight and you feel bloated. Salt and water retention may be associated with high blood pressure.

Salt-sensitive women with high blood pressure should reduce salt intake to less than six grams a day.

Reconsider Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone replacement therapy is no longer recommended to prevent heart disease. Although the incidence of heart disease in women changes significantly after menopause, when estrogen levels decline, taking hormone replacement therapy does not provide a simple solution. Earlier studies showed an association between estrogen use and a reduced risk of heart disease. However, more recent clinical trials have overturned this theory.

The National Institutes of Health Women's Health Initiative enrolled the largest group of women to take HRT and found that women taking Prempro had an increased risk of heart attack and stroke that persisted after five years. Further studies are needed to see if alternative forms of HRT, such as the patch or lower doses of HRT, have any heart benefits.

Source: www.intellihealth.com

Hit Counter


NANAY, Inc
Telephone 305-981-3232 FAX 305-981-3231
Postal address :: NANAY COMMUNITY CENTER: 659 N.E. 125 Street, North Miami, Florida 33161

: WEBMASTER: joybruce@aol.com

NANAY Inc. is supported by Florida Older Americans Act, Alliance for Aging for Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, Florida Department of Transportation, Miami-Dade Alliance for Human Services, Dept of Health and Human Services, Miami-Dade County Office of Community and Economic Development, North Miami CDBG, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), National Asian Women's Health Organization (NAWHO), AETNA Foundation and United Way (Miami-Dade Reg. # 161126)