Heart disease is the number one killer of postmenopausal-aged women. In fact, more women than men die from heart disease. Heart disease also kills more postmenopausal women than all cancers combined.
What Is Heart Disease?
The heart's main job is to pump blood to the lungs to get new oxygen and to pump that oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The heart is a muscle and depends on blood supply to keep it working. When the vessels that supply the heart with blood begin to narrow from plaque building up, the vessel(s) can eventually close, shutting off the blood supply to that portion of the heart. That makes that portion of heart muscle die (i.e. a heart attack).
Natural Hormones and Heart Disease
Heart disease in women can be clearly linked to hormone levels. Estrogen that is naturally produced in a woman's body protects the heart by raising good cholesterol (HDL) levels and lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) levels. The bad cholesterol causes plaque to form inside the blood vessels of the heart. Most women, with the exception of smokers, are protected against heart disease before menopause.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
When women go through menopause, their natural hormone levels decrease, causing them to be at risk for heart disease. Hormone replacement therapy used to be given to women to not only relieve the symptoms of menopause, but also to protect against heart disease and osteoporosis.
Dangers of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Studies through the American Heart Association and Women's Health Initiative have shown that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can actually increase the chances of high blood pressure, stroke, high cholesterol and heart disease. In addition, HRT significantly increases the risk of breast cancer (see Resources).
Prevention
A healthy lifestyle is the most important factor in prevention. Stopping smoking (or better yet, never starting), controlling your weight, exercising and eating healthy are key to warding off heart trouble. Duke University studies show that taking an aspirin a day can decrease your chance of dying by 25 percent if you do have a heart attack (see Resources).
Tags: against heart, against heart disease, blood supply, cholesterol levels, heart attack, heart disease