New Study Reveals Women Face Higher Heart Disease Risk: Key Factors Uncovered
Recent research highlights how common heart disease risk factors, such as poor diet and high blood pressure, disproportionately affect women compared to men. Even though women generally lead healthier lives, their heart disease risks often go unnoticed. However, the good news is that making healthy lifestyle choices—like maintaining a balanced diet and engaging in regular physical activity—can significantly enhance heart health protection for women.
According to a new study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session, while women are nearly twice as likely to maintain healthy lifestyles overall, factors such as a subpar diet and elevated lipid or blood pressure levels significantly increase their risk of cardiovascular disease, more so than in men. This finding underscores the importance of understanding gender-specific heart disease risks.
Cardiovascular Disease Statistics
- Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.
Dr. Rachel Bond, system director of women’s heart health at Dignity Health in Arizona, who was not involved in the research, remarked that risk factors linked to heart disease are often “under-recognized and under-treated in women.” She noted that women generally receive less counseling regarding behavior changes to mitigate these risks.
The implications of the study indicate a need for more tailored guidelines regarding heart disease risk assessment. As Dr. Maneesh Sud, MD, PhD, the study’s lead author, stated, “It’s not one size fits all.”
Diving Deeper into Risk Factors
This new study, which is still awaiting publication in a peer-reviewed journal, analyzed data from over 175,000 Canadians who participated in the Ontario Health Study between 2009 and 2017. All participants were free from a history of heart disease at the study’s outset and provided extensive data related to:
- Dietary habits
- Sleep patterns
- Exercise frequency
- Nicotine usage
- Blood glucose and cholesterol levels
- Blood pressure and obesity
The study tracked whether participants experienced strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, or other cardiovascular events, as well as mortality records up to March 2023. The average age of the women in the study was 47 years, while the men averaged 50 years.
The findings showed significant lifestyle differences:
- 54% of women reported eating an ideal diet (at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily) compared to 35% of men.
- 73% of women maintained healthy blood pressure levels, in contrast to 68% of men.
- A greater percentage of women had healthy glucose levels: 92% compared to 89% for men.
However, the research also highlighted that physical activity rates differed, with only 70% of women achieving adequate exercise compared to 73% of men. The correlation between poor scores on these risk factors and higher cardiovascular disease risk was considerably stronger for women.
Implications for Women’s Heart Health
As Dr. Sud emphasized, future research is needed to explore how hormonal changes, especially during menopause, may affect women’s heart disease risk. Although studies suggest that estrogen has a protective impact on heart health, the precise role of this hormone remains unclear.
It is evident that the risk factors for heart disease have a disproportionately negative impact on women compared to their male counterparts. This understanding should guide healthcare providers in offering tailored advice regarding heart health, particularly for women, as highlighted by Dr. Bond.
Furthermore, studies indicate that women who smoke as much as men are 25% more likely to develop heart disease. Dr. Bond believes the findings of this study likely resonate globally, especially in the U.S. “Despite being Canadian, the demographics studied are quite similar to those in the U.S.,” she noted.
Dr. Annapoorna Kini, director of the Interventional Structural Heart Disease Program for the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York, echoed these sentiments, suggesting that poor diets and high stress levels, prevalent in fast-paced American lifestyles, could exacerbate heart health issues among women.
In summary, the study strongly indicates that while unhealthy lifestyle factors negatively impact women’s heart disease risk, adopting healthy lifestyle habits can provide significant protective benefits. It is crucial to underscore the importance of proper diet and regular exercise to promote women’s heart health more effectively.
