Heart Disease-Being a Lady Wont Get You Out Of This One

Pop Quiz: What is the number one killer of women in the US?
If you guessed cancer, you guessed wrong.

Cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of both men and women in the US. Cardiovascular disease has traditionally been thought of as a disease that affects men, and it is, but it also affects women, especially after menopause. Cardiovascular disease develops over many years as plaque is laid in the lining of the arteries. Plaque build-up, coupled with inflammation, can block the flow of blood to the heart resulting in a heart attack.

Stroke, another manifestation of cardiovascular disease is often caused by the dislodgement of these plaque buildups; they travel to the brain and block the flow of precious oxygenated blood to the brain. These dangerous plaques are caused in part by cholesterol and other factors that affect heart health: being overweight, smoking, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and having diabetes.

Fortunately many of these factors are modifiable.

One of the most important modifiable risk factors is diet. The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Diet, developed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute was designed to lower your chance of developing cardiovascular disease.

The TLC Diet recommends:
• Less than 7% of the day's total calories from saturated fat.
• 25-35 percent of the day’s total calories from fat.
• Less than 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol a day.
• Limiting sodium intake to 2400 milligrams a day.
• Just enough calories to achieve or maintain a healthy weight and reduce your blood cholesterol level.

Another important aspect of heart health is weight management. Losing weight, if necessary, through eating healthfully and exercising can help lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and is especially important for those with a cluster of risk factors that includes high triglycerides, low good cholesterol (HDL) levels, being overweight and having a large waist circumference (more than 35 inches for women).

While there are some risk factors like age and genetics that cannot be changed, many risk factors can be modified. You are the only one who can take control of your own habits and make changes that can keep your cardiovascular system healthy for many more years to come.