No 1 Killer Of Women In The U.S.A.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, but many women are not aware of that. Health experts say informing women about the risk of developing the disease is the first step in preventing it. Women today are more likely than ever to suffer from heart disease, says cardiologist Matthew Budoff. "They are actually at increased risk of heart disease, partly because they live longer," he says. "And so, as they get older, they are more likely to develop high blood pressure, diabetes, and their cholesterol goes up. A lot of these issues are not discussed with their primary care physicians as diligently as men." The first step toward fighting the disease among women, Budoff says, is dispelling the misconceptions about it -- such as that heart disease only affects men. "The heart attack rate actually now is higher in women than in men in the United States," he says. "More women die of heart attack, more women die of stroke, and more women die of heart failure than men every year in the United States. It's really a female-predominant disease at this point."

Another misconception, he says, is that breast cancer is women's No 1. health concern. "Breast cancer is a very important disease for women and a big health concern," he says. "But approximately 5-to-1 of those women will die of heart disease rather than breast cancer. So heart disease is a much bigger killer of women in our society than breast cancer." Separating facts from fiction, Budoff says, can help women make better health decisions. "Women have to make sure that they are not only getting their mammograms and self breast exams, but that they're also finding out about their heart health," he says. "I highly recommend that women know their numbers, know their blood pressure and their cholesterol, and after menopause, consider a heart scan to see if they have any plaque building up in their coronary arteries." "Breast cancer is a very important disease for women and a big health concern," he says. "But approximately 5-to-1 of those women will die of heart disease rather than breast cancer. So heart disease is a much bigger killer of women in our society than breast cancer."

Separating facts from fiction, Budoff says, can help women make better health decisions. "Women have to make sure that they are not only getting their mammograms and self breast exams, but that they're also finding out about their heart health," he says. "I highly recommend that women know their numbers, know their blood pressure and their cholesterol, and after menopause, consider a heart scan to see if they have any plaque building up in their coronary arteries." To help prevent heart disease, registered dietitian Keri Glassman encourages women to re-examine their lifestyle and take baby steps to make it healthier. "We're really focusing on women making small changes and building on them to improve their overall lifestyle," she says. "We can modify many things to our daily lifestyle. We can improve our weight. We can reduce the amount of sodium we're consuming. We can incorporate more fiber and more omega-3s into our diet."