What Women Really Need to Know About Heart Disease

Ask women what health issue is more likely to kill them and a majority think they should be most concerned about breast cancer, not heart disease or having a heart attack. They’re then surprised to hear that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States today and is more deadly than all cancers combined.

A 43-year-old Israeli flight attendant recently contracted measles, leading to encephalitis (brain inflammation) and a coma. While a measles outbreak is currently affecting nearly half of U.S. states, most people being infected haven’t been vaccinated. What’s different about the Israeli flight attendant? She had been inoculated against measles.

How did she get the measles? She only received one of the two recommended inoculations, leaving her susceptible to the virus.

Put down your fork and listen: Eating a heart-healthy diet isn’t hard. It might seem confusing with all the “eat-this, not-that” magazine articles, fad diets and best-selling nutrition books, but here’s all you really need to know: The Mediterranean, Ornish and DASH diets are the best diets for heart health. Following one of these three well-researched and proven heart-healthy eating plans (detailed below) can help you lower your heart disease risk. Don’t invest another bite into a fad diet. Instead, chew on this:

When it comes to heart health, eating like an American probably isn’t your best bet. That’s because our diets are high in unhealthy fats, processed foods and lots of carbs. But one diet in particular always gets highlighted by researchers and health experts: the Mediterranean diet.

If you’re like most Americans, you probably have a good idea on what types of exercise is good for your heart: running, swimming, bicycling. In short, cardiovascular exercise – and lots of it.

But you may be surprised to learn that strength training may actually be better for your heart. Here are the truths behind five common heart disease and exercise misconceptions that can help provide better protection for your heart.

Americans love fried food. About 33 percent of American adults eat fast-food, usually fried, every day. Fried chicken, Buffalo wings, fried fish, French fries, tacos and tortillas — it's a long list and heavy in America's favorite foods.

When it comes to cardiovascular disease (CVD), members in MDVIP-affiliated practices know a lot. That was one positive takeaway from a national survey of consumers’ understanding of CVD recently conducted by MDVIP and Ipsos. 

For example, most members knew that, in addition to cholesterol levels, inflammation was an important factor in heart disease. But the general public was less informed about a whole host of heart disease-related concerns.

Every year in the U.S., there are well over 700,000 new heart attacks and 335,000 repeat heart attacks. It doesn’t have to be that way. 

Everyone can take simple steps to reduce the modifiable risk factors of heart disease. And when we say everyone, we mean everyone. While some heart disease risk factors are out of your control – including being a man, having a family history of heart disease and simply getting older – you can still do a lot to help prevent a heart attack. 

It’s not exactly news: Heart disease and depression, two of the most common chronic conditions in America, are also linked to each other. Researchers, who have been looking at the connection for decades, know that at least one-fourth of all heart disease patients have depression – many are clinically depressed following a stroke, heart attack or bypass surgery.

They also know that having depression increases men’s risk for heart attack by 60 percent and women’s risk of stroke by 44 percent.

Many of my patients are concerned about heart disease -- and with good reason. It’s the leading cause of death in the United States, despite having effective tools to help detect and prevent it.