The Strong Women’s Heart Program at the Strong Heart and Vascular Center is dedicated to promoting women’s heart health and helping women lead healthy lives. As a team of women physicians and health care providers, we understand the special needs, concerns and questions facing women today.
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Women as Much at Risk for Heart Disease as Men
Heart disease. It’s long been thought of as a man’s disease, which is far from true. As the new millennium begins, it is the No. 1 killer of both women and men despite information available about prevention. Heart attacks and strokes in women claim more lives each year than all forms of cancer combined, including breast cancer.
Heart disease in women is less publicized because women generally experience heart attacks and strokes at an older age than men-about 10 years later. As women reach menopause, they rapidly catch up to their male counterparts and become prone to heart attacks and stroke, which are more often lethal in women.
What You Can Do
The best way for women and men to fight heart disease is simple. Adopt a healthy lifestyle and talk with your health care provider about ways to take charge of your health. Here are some tips to keep your heart healthy:
- Eat Right – Get plenty of fruits and vegetables and watch your fat intake. Total fat should be no more than 30 percent of calories, with saturated fat less than 10 percent, polyunsaturated fat between 8 to 10 percent, and monounsaturated fat between 10 and 15 percent.
- Exercise – Lack of physical activity is a risk factor for heart disease, and being overweight increases risk, more so in women than in men.
- Dont Smoke
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