Health Ministry

The Heart Truth: Red Dress Sunday

Heart Disease is #1 killer of women. Know your risk factors. Do you know The Heart Truth about women and heart disease? More women die of heart disease than any other disease—even breast cancer. In fact, one in three women dies of heart disease. And living with it can lead to disability and a decreased quality of life. But few women take their risk seriously—or personally. Having just one risk factor can double your risk for developing heart disease. Multiple risk factors, well, multiply your risk.

What can you do to lower your risk? Know the risk factors for heart disease:

High blood pressure
High blood cholesterol
Diabetes
Smoking
Overweight/obesity
Physical inactivity
Family history of early coronary heart disease
Age (for women, 55 and older)

Talk to your doctor to find out if you are at risk. And take action. Not smoking, heart healthy eating, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and taking prescribed medication can help to control and reduce the risks.

Taken from the website: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth/whatis/index.htm