Heart Disease

Heart disease with cancer right behind is the number one killer of women each year. In 2020, about 800,000 people died in the United States from heart disease and about half of those people were women.

Genetics may play a role but the way we live also plays a huge role. The leading risk factors for heart disease are high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking. Other medical conditions and lifestyle choices also put people at a higher risk for heart disease. These include diabetes, an unhealthy diet, physical activity, excess drinking and overweight and obesity.

Women’s risk increases after menopause and even perimenopause. And the American Heart Association feels that poor nutrition may the biggest cause of heart disease.

Symptoms for a heart attack for women include classic symptoms like tightness in the chest, arm, pain and shortness of breath. More subtle symptoms include nausea, fatigue, indigestion, anxiety and dizziness. Women are often taken less seriously when they present with their symptoms. And their heart attacks are often more severe, and they have a lower survival rate than their male counterparts.

Which is why it is more important than ever to know what you need to know to protect yourself!

A stroke occurs when parts of the blood supply is blocked to part of the brain or when a blood vessel bursts, and part of the brain becomes damaged or dies.

Here on the Women’s Health Vine, we will talk nutrition choices for a healthy heart!