Tag: women and heart disease

The Heart Truth: what’s that little red dress all about?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 7 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas   ♥   @HeartSisters 

I’ve worked in public relations for decades, and I have to say that, from a PR perspective, those folks over in Breast Cancer are doing a fabulous job of raising awareness about their cause. It’s a world of PINK out there!  Yet the same women who are raising awareness and funds in support of breast cancer research may be unaware that heart disease – not breast cancer – is actually women’s biggest health threat. This year, heart disease will kill six times more women than breast cancer will.  In fact, heart disease will kill more women than all forms of cancer combined.

These frightening stats are just one of the reasons Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation launched The Heart Truth, a campaign to help fund research about women’s heart disease, and to educate women about the risk factors, symptoms and especially prevention of our #1 health threat.

heart truth logoThe Red Dress is the official symbol of this campaign. As the Heart and Stroke Foundation describes it:  “It’s feminine, strong and confident, capturing the spirit of the cause in a symbol that women across Canada can identify with and feel proud of. The Red Dress represents women’s courage and passion as they raise awareness about our heart health.”

And the inaugural 2008 Heart Truth campaign launch nearly doubled Canadians’ awareness (from 13% to over 23%) that heart disease is the #1 killer of Canadian women. But we still have a long way to go.   Continue reading “The Heart Truth: what’s that little red dress all about?” →

10 baby steps to improve women’s heart health

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 4 Comments

baby steps sand

Did you know that up to 80% of heart disease is entirely preventable?  Most of us know the basics of that prevention – healthy diet, more exercise, not smoking – but when you start thinking of how many big changes that might mean, it can look like a pretty daunting lifestyle makeover all at once.

The first change should be a baby step. You’re more likely to succeed by making small changes, according to Dr. Catherine Champagne, professor of research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System.

“If you totally overhaul your diet or start an ambitious exercise program, you’re less likely to stick with it.”

Start small, go slow, and before you know it, those baby steps will start adding up to better cardiovascular health. Micro-improvements do more than chip away at a larger objective — they accomplish plenty on their own. Some of these are cumulative; do several and you’ll see an even bigger benefit.  Here are 10 baby steps to get you started:   Continue reading “10 baby steps to improve women’s heart health” →

Love your morning coffee, ladies? The more you drink, the lower your risk of stroke

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 2 Comments

coffee brownHere’s good news for women who drink coffee.  Lots of coffee.  Apparently women who drink four or more cups of coffee per day have a lower risk of stroke than women who don’t drink coffee. Research published in Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association looked at data collected in the Nurses’ Health Study, one of the largest collections of scientific data ever collated.

Begun in 1980, the Nurses’ Health Study tracked over 83,000 women for 24 years. The women, all medical health professionals, started the study with no history of heart disease, stroke, diabetes or cancer.

After factoring out other habits such as smoking and exercise, the study found that women who drink coffee have a significantly lower risk of stroke, and that the risk decreased further the more coffee the women drank.  Continue reading “Love your morning coffee, ladies? The more you drink, the lower your risk of stroke” →

Should women take daily aspirin to prevent heart attack?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 11 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas

Women of all ages often ask if they should be taking a daily low-dose (81 mg) of aspirin to improve their heart health.  Well, yes and no, depending on your age. Mayo Clinic cardiologist Dr. Sharonne Hayes, founder and director of the Mayo Women’s Heart Clinic, explains:

“Guidelines urge women to be more aggressive about cutting their heart disease and stroke risks. One of the common recommendations is for women over 65 years of age to consider daily aspirin therapy.

“The aspirin recommendation comes out of the ongoing Women’s Health Initiative study, the largest study of heart disease risk factors in women.  In 2005, the WHI group released a study showing that the most consistent benefit of aspirin for heart attack prevention was observed among women 65 years of age or older.  Women in this age group who took aspirin had nearly one-third fewer cardiovascular events (heart attack and stroke) than did women who took a placebo. However, the women taking aspirin had more gastrointestinal bleeding as well.  Continue reading “Should women take daily aspirin to prevent heart attack?” →