Heart disease is a lifelong battle for women
Published: Tue, Feb. 20, 2007 12:00AM
Modified Tue, Feb. 20, 2007 05:58AM
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closeWomen still haven't gotten the message that heart disease -- not cancer -- is most likely to send them to their graves. So the American Heart Association on Monday pulled a conceptual U-turn in its prevention efforts.
Instead of looking just a decade ahead, the nation's leading heart doctors now say people should take a look at their lifetime risk.
"If you look at 10-year risk in a woman in her 40s, it might look pretty good, when, in fact, that woman's actual risk for heart disease is quite high," said Dr. Sidney Smith, a UNC-Chapel Hill cardiologist and past president of the American Heart Association. Smith served on the panel that wrote this year's new prevention guidelines.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO FOR YOUR HEART?
* Eat right, move more. The American Heart Association says one of the best ways to reduce risk for heart disease is to eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and get regular exercise. The latest guidelines say exercising daily for at least 30 minutes is the minimum needed for heart health. They also say to keep body-mass index under 25.
* Dump your supplements. The guidelines advise against taking supplements of vitamins A, C, E and folic acid to prevent heart disease. No medical evidence proves they offer protection.
* Consider aspirin. Women age 65 or older should consider taking aspirin daily to reduce their risk of heart attack. The benefit isn't proven for younger women, but there is some evidence aspirin protects against certain types of strokes. Younger women should ask their doctors whether the benefits outweigh the risks of side effects such as bleeding in the digestive tract and brain.
* Stop smoking. Use nicotine replacement products if needed to stop.
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He said measuring short-term risk is less effective because women tend to develop heart disease about 10 years later than men. Heart disease is the nation's No. 1 killer of both women and men, but it's deadlier to women, killing one in three.
The guidelines were published in the journal Circulation with related studies on women's health, including one suggesting that hormone skin patches may be safer than pills for menopause symptoms.
Dr. L. Kristin Newby, a Duke University cardiologist and one of three Duke physicians who served on the prevention guidelines panel, said the recommendations are intended to spur doctors to be more attuned to female patients' needs.
That means talking sooner about eating healthier, exercising more, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol and giving up tobacco.
"Clearly we need to be talking to women about heart disease at younger and younger ages," Newby said.
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