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An article on this topic is available in this issue of AFP.
How to Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease if You Are a Woman
Heart Disease and Women
Heart disease is a disease of the arteries that bring blood to the heart muscle. It is the number one killer of American women.
Risk Factors for Heart Disease
You can't do anything about some risk factors for heart disease. For example, you are at higher risk if:
- You are 55 years of age or older
- One or more "first degree" relatives got heart disease at an early age. For example, a father or brother with heart disease before age 55, or a mother or sister with heart disease before age 65.
However, you can do something about many other risk factors:
- Cigarette smoking
- Diabetes
- Overweight, especially if your waist measurement is more than 35 inches
- Physical inactivity
- High blood pressure (above 140/90)
- High LDL cholesterol level (above 160). LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. It is often called the "bad" cholesterol.
- Low HDL cholesterol level (below 40). HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. It is often called the "good" cholesterol.
Your doctor can help you find out your 10-year risk of getting heart disease.
How to Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
Here are some things you can do:
- If you smoke, stop smoking.
- If you have diabetes, control your glucose (blood sugar) level.
- If you are overweight, lose weight.
- Exercise regularly. For example, walk or ride a bicycle for 30 minutes at least three times a week.
- Eat fewer high-fat foods, like butter, cheese, meat, and some vegetable fats (palm oil and cocoa butter). Foods that are high in saturated fat should be less than 7 percent of your total daily calories.
- Eat more high-fiber foods, like vegetables, fruits, grains, and whole-grain breads, cereals, and pasta.
- Your doctor can help you plan a healthy diet. If exercise and diet do not help enough, you might need to take medicines.
Finding More Information
You can learn more by contacting these groups:
- American Heart Association
(ask for "Women's Health Information")
Telephone: 1-888-694-3278
Web address: http://www.americanheart.org
- The National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute (ask for "Heart Health")
Telephone: 1-800-575-9355Web address: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/index.htm
You can find out your 10-year risk of getting heart disease at this Web address: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/risk_tbl.htm#women
How to Lower Your Cholesterol Level if You Are a Woman
Heart Disease and Cholesterol
Heart disease is a disease of the arteries that bring blood to the heart muscle. It is the number one killer of American women. The build-up of cholesterol (say: ko-less-tur-all) in the arteries of the heart is an important risk factor for heart disease.
Kinds of Cholesterol
There are two important kinds of cholesterol in your blood. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is called "good" cholesterol.
The build-up of LDL cholesterol on the walls of the arteries of your heart can slow the flow of blood through the arteries. It can even block the arteries. If your heart muscle does not get enough oxygen from blood, you can have chest pain called angina (say: an-ji-nah) or a heart attack.
HDL cholesterol helps to remove the bad cholesterol from your blood. Having a high HDL cholesterol level is especially important if you are more than 65 years old.
Your Cholesterol Level
Your doctor will do blood tests to find out your total cholesterol level. Tests can also measure your LDL and HDL cholesterol levels.
Goals for Your Cholesterol Levels
It's best to keep your total cholesterol level below 200. Women of any age should have an HDL level of 40 or higher.
If you already have heart disease or diabetes, or your doctor estimates that your 10-year risk of heart disease is 20 percent or higher, try to keep your LDL level below 100.
If you do not have heart disease or diabetes, but you have two major risk factors, try to keep your LDL cholesterol level below 130. Major risk factors are age over 55; cigarette smoking; high blood pressure; low HDL (less than 40);
a father or brother with heart disease before age 55, or a mother or sister with heart disease before age 65.If you have fewer than two major risk factors, try to keep your LDL level below 160.
Lowering Your Total and LDL Cholesterol Levels
Here are some things you can do:
- Lose weight if you are overweight.
- Exercise regularly. For example, walk or ride a bicycle for 30 minutes at least three times a week.
- Eat fewer high-fat foods, like butter, cheese, meat, and some vegetable fats (palm oil and cocoa butter). Foods that are high in saturated fat should be less than 7 percent of your total daily calories.
- Eat more high-fiber foods, like vegetables, fruits, grains, and whole-grain breads, cereals, and pasta.
Your doctor can help you plan a heart-healthy diet. If exercising and changing your diet do not help enough, you might need to take a medicine to lower your cholesterol level.
Medicines to Lower Your Cholesterol Level
Medicines called "statins" are most often used to lower cholesterol levels. There are other cholesterol-lowering medicines that your doctor might prescribe, like resins, fibrates, and niacin. If you need to take a medicine to lower your cholesterol level, your doctor will help you find the one that works best for you.
Estrogen replacement therapy (also called hormone therapy) lowers your bad cholesterol level and raises your good cholesterol level. However, studies have not shown that it lowers the risk of heart disease.
Finding More Information
You can learn more about lowering your cholesterol level by contacting these groups:
- American Heart Association
(ask for "Women's Health Information")
Telephone: 1-888-694-3278Web address: http://www.americanheart.org
- The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (ask for "Heart Health")
Telephone: 1-800-575-9355Web address: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/index.htm
This handout provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this handout applies to you and to get more information on this subject, talk to your family doctor.
Visit familydoctor.org for information on this and many other health-related topics.
Copyright © 2002 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Permission is granted to print and photocopy this material for nonprofit educational uses. Written permission is required for all other uses, including electronic uses.
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