Services
Counseling in Prevention
You Are What You Eat
Better food habits can help you reduce your risk for heart attack. A healthful eating plan means choosing the right foods to eat and preparing foods.
It's Not Just a Man's Disease
Heart disease is far and away the leading cause of death of American women, but you can do a lot to help protect yourself and women from it. Read this section for some important advice.
Exercise & Fitness
Swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, dancing, walking and dozens of other activities can help your heart. Whether it is included in a structured exercise program or just part of your daily routine, all physical activity adds up to a healthier heart.
You Are What You Eat
Better food habits can help you reduce your risk for heart attack. A healthful eating plan means choosing the right foods to eat and preparing foods.
Do you know which fats you should limit or avoid, and which are better for you than others? Foods contain different types of fat. Americans eat about 2 percent of their calories from trans fat. If you eat 2,000 total calories a day, your daily limits should be less than 2 grams (less than 20 of those calories) from trans fats.
It's Not Just a Man's Disease
Facts About Women & Cardiovascular Disease
- Nearly 39 percent of all female deaths in America occur from CVD, which includes coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. CVD is a particularly important problem among minority women. The death rate due to CVD is substantially higher in black women than in white women.
- In 2003, CVD claimed the lives of 483,842 females; cancer (all forms combined) 267,902. Coronary heart disease claimed the lives of 233,886 females, compared with 41,566 lives from breast cancer and 67,894 from lung cancer.
- 38 percent of women compared with 25 percent of men will die within one year after a heart attack.
- Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability; an estimated 15 to 30 percent of stroke survivors are permanently disabled.
- Misperceptions still exist that CVD is not a real problem for women.
A low percentage of women in America believe that heart disease and stroke are the greatest health threat to women. In addition, despite the fact that minority women face the highest risk of death from heart disease and stroke, they have lower risk factor awareness. Here are some important facts about women's risk, diagnosis and treatment:
- Risk of heart disease and stroke increases with age.
- More women than men die of stroke.
- Low blood levels of "good" cholesterol (high density lipoprotein or HDL) appear to be a stronger predictor of heart disease death in women than in men in the over-65 age group; high blood levels of triglycerides (another type of fat) may be a particularly important risk factor in women and the elderly.
- Regular physical activity and a healthy weight reduce the risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes, also called type 2 diabetes, which appears to be an even stronger contributing risk factor for heart disease in women than in men.
- Diagnosis of heart disease presents a greater challenge in women than in men.
Exercise & Fitness
Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and most Americans are not physically active enough to gain any health benefits. Swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, aerobic dancing, walking or many other activities can help your heart. Whether it's included in a structured exercise program or part of your daily routine, all physical activity adds up to a healthier heart.
According to the latest American College of Sports Medicine guidelines on physical activity, all healthy adults ages 18-65 should be getting at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity five days of the week. However, there are additional guidelines for those 65 and older, or for those 50-64 with chronic conditions or physical functional limitations (e.g., arthritis) that affect movement ability or physical fitness.
