Heart disease facts for women

APPROXIMATELY one in every four female deaths are related to heart disease and many times women find out they have heart disease when substantial damage is already done.

As a result, Dr Alfred Dawes, general, laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon, has explained a few facts about heart disease that women need to know.

1. Your risk increases after menopause

Dr Dawes said oestrogen plays an important role in decreasing the risk of heart disease in women as it has a positive effect on the blood vessel walls helping them to stay more elastic. But he said as oestrogen levels decline after menopause, so does the protective effect.

“Most women begin to experience symptoms after menopause, usually around the age of 50 to 52 years old. Heart disease is one of the chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that together are the number one killers of women in Jamaica. Worldwide, over 50 per cent of deaths are caused by chronic NCDs. Others predisposing to heart disease include diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as obesity,” he said.

2. Drinking wine reduces your risk

Dr Dawes said alcohol in moderation — usually one glass of red wine per day or a glass of beer per day — results in changes in your body that are protective against heart disease, resulting in an improved risk profile compared to people who do not drink at all. He cautioned, however, that drinking too much can result in ill effects such as liver disease.

3. Not getting a good night’s rest increases your risk of developing heart disease

“Many women work jobs not just [with] their employers, but are full-time mothers, wives and housekeepers at home. This results in decreased sleep hours for women. Sleep is needed to recharge the body and reduce the levels of stress hormones that are a part of daily life,” Dr Dawes said. He further explained that with inadequate sleep these stress hormone levels do not fall to levels that would allow one to maintain a balanced mind and body. “With increased stress hormones and lack of sleep, one tends to put on weight and it has a direct relationship with your risk of heart disease. So whatever you are doing, try to get a good night’s rest,” he said.

4. Quitting smoking will reduce your risk of getting heart disease

Dr Dawes said if you are a smoker and you quit, for every year you have quit, your risk of heart disease goes down and it continues on a downward trend.

“You will never get to the point of the low risk as if you’ve never smoked before, but quitting now will increase your chances of getting as close to that point as possible later on in life,” he said.

5. Walking reduces your risk

According to Dr Dawes, walking half an hour three times per week will decrease your risk of heart disease.

“Studies have shown that even brief periods of exercise for approximately half hour per day or even three times per week improves your cardiovascular health and decreases your risk of getting a heart attack,” he explained.

6. Fatty foods do not give you heart disease

“This common misconception came out of flawed studies in the 1960s and 1970s whereby high cholesterol was linked with heart disease, and it was extrapolated to say that fatty foods would cause high cholesterol which in turn would cause heart disease. This was termed the diet heart hypothesis,” Dr Dawes said.

“Subsequent studies have failed to show a definitive link between fatty foods and heart disease. However, diets rich in polyunsaturated fats do cut your risk of getting heart disease. Polyunsaturated fats may be found in certain fish and fruits and vegetables.”

7. You may not see any signs until it is too late

Dr Dawes said in many instances the damage to the heart and blood vessels take place without showing any signs and symptoms until the day when a person “suddenly” gets a heart attack. As a result, he said it is important to get screened for the risk factors of heart disease, such as hypertension and high cholesterol, on a periodic basis.

8. Happy marriages lead to healthier women

Dr Dawes said one study has shown that people in happy marriages tend to have less chronic non-communicable diseases including heart disease, whereas people in progressively unhappier marriages tend to be unhealthier as time goes by.