This article appeared in the the Lifestyle section of the Daily Progress on February 4, 2007.
Learn How To ‘Live Red'
Did you know that:
- Heart disease is the most common cause of death in American women?
- Heart disease causes more deaths than the next seven causes combined, including all cancers?
- Every minute, a woman dies of heart disease in America?
- More women die from heart disease than men?
If some or all of this information is news to you, you're hardly alone - and that's a problem. In 1997, only 30 percent of women knew that heart disease - not breast cancer - was the most common cause of death among women. Awareness among women about heart disease's place as their no. 1 cause of death has since increased to 55 percent. That's encouraging, but there is plenty of room for improvement. Studies have shown that women who understand the risk heart disease poses to their health seek appropriate cardiovascular risk assessment, both for themselves and their families.
To address this problem, the University of Virginia Health System is launching an initiative called Live Red to better inform women and their doctors about heart disease in women. Women can learn more about their unique risks for heart disease and how to better manage those risks by visiting by visiting www.LiveRedUVa.com.
You'll learn how heart attack symptoms can be different for women than for men, and you can take an online risk assessment to learn your personal heart disease risk factors. You can also sign up for Club Red, UVa's free heart-healthy club for women.
What are some steps you can take right now to improve your heart health? Heart-healthy living has four main elements:
- A diet rich in vegetables and fruits, a variety of protein sources, and low fat content helps prevent high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease.
- Daily exercise and/or robust physical activities for at least 30 minutes helps prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. Exercise is also an essential component of weight management.
- Maintaining a healthy weight (a body mass index less than 25 and waistline less than 35 inches) helps prevent diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol abnormalities and heart disease.
- Avoiding smoking and second hand smoke helps prevent heart disease and stroke.
The rewards for improving your lifestyle are numerous, from simply feeling better to a reduced risk for heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and dementia.
In addition to these steps, you should talk with your doctor or healthcare provider regarding screening for the often silent risk factors for heart disease, including abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes. You should be regularly tested for these risk factors. If you have any of them, they should be treated with medication if lifestyle changes alone do not produce the necessary improvements.
The good news is that heart disease is preventable. Living a healthy lifestyle - together with regular screenings for heart disease risk factors and heart-healthy lifestyle changes - will reduce your risk for heart disease. So starting this month, Live Red and learn what you can do to stay heart healthy.
Allan G. Simpson, M.D., is an associate professor of clinical internal medicine and director of ambulatory cardiology at the University of Virginia. Visit www.uvahealth.com to sign up for free e-newsletters on heart care and a variety of other healthcare topics.