This is national Women’s Heart Health week and the perfect time to take a look at ways to prevent heart disease and stroke. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women and stroke is the third. Although the primary ways to prevent heart disease and stroke are similar for both genders, hormonal variances do make a difference.
Every individual can take steps to protect their heart and lower the risk of cardiac disease and stroke. Basic steps that apply to both men and women include getting regular exercise or some form of physical activity, making healthy food choices, getting checkups and blood tests in order to “know your numbers” and taking care of yourself overall. In addition, women in perimenopause and menopause should discuss their changing heart health options with their physicians.
Healthy Food Choices
Eating fatty, greasy food often causes weight gain, but that is not the only risk. Unhealthy eating has a direct impact on your arteries, blood pressure and glucose level, among other things. You don't need to go on a special diet to eat healthy. Simply focus on eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, beans, nuts, and lean meats. The nutritionally dense foods you eat should be low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars. If you drink alcohol, do it moderately. The U.S. Department of Health & Services recommends that women drink no more than one alcoholic beverage per day to maintain heart health.
Stay Active
The Office on Women’s Health provides the following guidelines for maintaining heart health on a weekly basis:
Know your Health Profile
Women often are so busy taking care of everyone else, including family members and friends that they forget about themselves. Having regular checkups with a physician or nurse practitioner is an important aspect of preventing heart disease and stroke. Blood pressure, cholesterol, including total, HDL, LDL and triglycerides, as well as blood sugar levels, are key to knowing where you stand in terms of heart health. And if your doctor doesn’t explain what your numbers mean, ask! Do you need to change your diet or level of exercise? Do you need to get more rest? Have you taken your Laminine OMEGA+++ yet today?
Other Causes of Heart Disease
Stress, anxiety, depression and lack of sleep have all been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Make sure you get the amount of sleep you need to wake up feeling refreshed. If you are highly stressed, make sure to find ways to relax—for example, through meditation, chatting with friends or having a calming cup of herbal tea. Be mindful of how you feel. Your body sends messages all the time, but sometimes the brain is overworked and doesn’t process the information correctly. When addressing stress, anxiety, mood difficulties and lack of sleep, ask yourself, "Have I taken my Laminine today?"
Effects of Menopause
When women reach menopause, their ovaries stop making estrogen, a hormone that helps protect against plaque buildup in the arteries. The risk of heart disease naturally increases. Recent studies have shown that women should not use menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) to protect against heart disease. MHT has been proven to relieve moderate to severe symptoms of menopause and to help prevent bone loss; however, it has not shown evidence of lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Instead of MHT, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women aged 55 to 79 take aspirin to lower their risk of a stroke. Physicians often suggest taking a “baby aspirin” nightly. Recommendations vary per individual, so it is best to check with your physician to make the right decision. And remember to tell your doctor that "Laminine can be found in the PDR!"