Every year about 785,000 Americans have a first heart attack, and a further 470,000 Americans who have already had one or more heart attacks have another attack.
Current estimates are that more than 41 million women in America have heart disease and statistics show that more than 233,000 women die annually in this country from cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, and in 2006, half of the deaths due to heart disease were in women. In fact, coronary heart disease is the most important cause of death and disability in women, and in America today deaths from cardiovascular diseases in women exceed the total number of deaths caused by the next 16 causes .
More People Die From Heart Disease Than From Cancer
Contrary to popular belief, it is not cancer but heart disease that is the leading health problem that kills women. Significantly, The National Registry of Myocardial Infarctions in 1999 reported that compared to men, women have a worse outcome after having a heart attack.
How to Prevent Heart Attacks
Limited data, however, are available about how to prevent heart attacks in women. Is there an association between consuming a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and the incidence of myocardial infarction (heart attacks) in women?
Study by Karolinska Institute
A team led by Dr Agneta Akesson from Sweden's prestigious Karolinska Institute undertook a study to investigate this hypothesis: does maintaining a healthy diet and behaviour pattern prevent heart attacks in women? They used factor analysis to study a group of 24 444 postmenopausal Swedish women who at the time of commencing the study were free of diagnosed cancer, cardiovascular disease,and diabetes mellitus. Their results were published in the medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine in 2007.
The research team found that just five lifestyle factors – a healthy diet, daily exercise, normal body weight, drinking only a moderate amount of alcohol and not smoking – can cut a woman's heart attack risk by an amazing 92 percent. Incorporating just the first two of these protective lifestyle changes (a healthy diet and daily exercise) into your routine cuts your risk by more than half.
The low-risk diet (which scored high for the healthy dietary pattern) was characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish and legumes. This, in combination with moderate alcohol consumption (five grams or less of alcohol per day) together with the three low-risk lifestyle behaviors [not smoking, having a waist-hip ratio of less than the 75th percentile and being physically active] was associated with a 92 percent decreased risk when compared to the findings in women without any low-risk diet and lifestyle factors.
Antioxidants,Vitamins, Mineralsd and Fibre Protect the Heart
Several components of fruits, vegetables and whole grains such fibre, antioxidant vitamins and minerals, have been associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Moreover, previous studies have found that small amounts of alcohol have beneficial effects in preventing the buildup of plaque in the arteries feeding the heart muscle.
In summary, what Dr. Akesson's team found was that women who eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight, drink no more than a moderate amount of alcohol, are physically active, and do not smoke have a significantly reduced risk of heart attack.
References:
1. Åkesson A, Weismayer C, Newby PK, Wolk A. Combined Effect of Low-Risk Dietary and Lifestyle Behaviors in Primary Prevention of Myocardial Infarction in Women. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(19):2122-2127.
2. Angina is a symptom of coronary heart disease
Sanjiva Wijesinha - Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha, Associate Professor at Monash University medical school, writes on health, travel and medical topics.
