Women and Heart Disease

Five hundred thousand American women die each year from heart diseases and the risks increases with age.  Heart disease includes the narrowing of the arteries, heart failure, diseases of the heart muscles, inborn defects, hardening of the arties, and other conditions.

We tend to think of men as the ones who commonly have heart diseases but heart diseases is the leading killer of both men and women in the United States.  Scientists who are studying the cause of the rise in cardiac problems in woman have identified two factors that appear to be the leading cause of heart disease in woman.

The Change of Life.

After menopause, a woman's body experiences reduced estrogen production, changes in cholesterol levels, changes in the structure of blood vessels, and increased production of the clotting agent fibrinogen.  Women who have gone through menopause are two to three times more likely to suffer heart disease than a pre-menopausal woman of the same age.  Women that have had a hysterectomy also experience these same raised risk factors.  No one yet knows exactly how much a woman's risk is affected by each of these changes, but they are definitely associated with greater heart disease risk. 

Scientists studying women and heart disease hypothesized that hormone replacement therapy could help post-menopausal women fight heart disease; however, long-term studies do not confirm that preliminary idea and doctors no longer recommend hormone replacement therapy to battle heart disease.

When talking about your heart disease risk factors with your doctor, get his or her opinion on using hormonal birth control (the pill or the patch).  Most doctors believe that using birth control is reasonable safe for women under thirty-five if no other risk factors are involved such as smoking or being overweight.  For women over the age of thirty-file there is not enough evidence that birth control hormones can increase or decrease heart disease in women and more studies are being conducted.   

A Change of Lifestyle.

Scientists studying women and heart disease find that women are knowledgeable about what lifestyles are associated with heart disease, and yet they are still prone to maintain those unhealthy lifestyles.  For example, according to the National Institutes of Health, fifty-six million American women have high cholesterol, 33% of women have high blood pressure, and 62% of women are overweight.  Despite these risks, women are less physically active than men, on average. 

The best course of action to take is to reduce your risk of developing congestive heart disease and improve the quality of life.  Habits such as not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight by regular activity or exercise, cutting down on the fatty foods, and getting your cholesterol tested can dramatically help prevent heart disease.  Don't become another statistic about women and heart disease. 

Common Vitamins and over the counter products can help with Heart Disease such as Sytrinol, Policosanol, Potassium, Pectin, and Niacin.

Sytrinol are known to be useful in helping maintain a healthy cholesterol level in the body by reducing triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels.

Policosanol is a natural supplement derived from sugar cane.  Policosanol promotes healthy platelet function and helps to maintain normal cholesterol levels in the human body.

Potassium may help prevent high blood pressure and protect against artherosclerosis and reduce the risk of stroke.

Pectin limits the amount of cholesterol the body can absorb.  High pectin count in apples may be why "One a day keeps the doctor away".

If you are at risk from Heart Disease then find a good health care professional prior to starting any type of home treatment.

Niacin is the closest thing available to a perfect treatment that corrects most causes of coronary heart disease.  Niacin blocks the release of fatty acids from fat cells.  Niacin plays a critical role in energy production, gene expression, and hormone synthesis.  You cannot live without it.  Niacin also tends to shift LDL particle distribution to larger particle size and improve HDL functioning.  The intake of 3 grams Niacin for as little as two weeks can reduce serum cholesterol by 26 percent.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.