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"  Heart disease claims the lives of more women every year than any other health condition, including breast cancer. According to the American Heart Association, one out of three women have some form of cardiovascular disease. And since 1984 to present day, the number of cardiovascular disease deaths of females has exceeded that of males. Yet many women, whether they have a family history or not, aren&amp;#039;t aware of how they may be affected by the disease, or what warning signs to look for to know if they&amp;#039;re in danger, now or in the future. &amp;quot;Although awareness to the issue has helped us to start to see the curve go down in terms of cardiovascular deaths among women, it&amp;#039;s still so crucial to target those with risk factors,&amp;quot; says Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director of The Joan H. Tisch Center for Women&amp;#039;s Health at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. &amp;quot;Studies of women who died suddenly show that 80 percent had risk factors that could have been acknowledged prior, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and may have helped save their lives.&amp;quot; While a heart attack is often what comes to mind at the mention of cardiovascular disease, the truth is that it encompasses a much wider range of health concerns. Because cardiovascular issues can affect the heart and blood vessels, it also includes in addition to heart attacks, strokes, as well as peripheral artery disease. The good news: when it comes to heart disease, youth is on your side. The risk of having some form of the disease increases with age for women for many reasons\u2014not only do changes in hormones related to menopause alter heart and artery health, but also weight gain often comes with age, can also affect former stellar blood pressure and cholesterol levels. &amp;quot;The best way to prevent changes later on is to make sure that you carry on an active life style throughout your entire life,&amp;quot; says Dr. Goldberg. However, being mindful of any health risks that play into heart disease at a young age\u2014from 50 years and younger\u2014could mean life or death. &amp;quot;There could be several clues when you&amp;#039;re younger that can be telltale signs if you&amp;#039;re more prone to an increased risk later in life of having cardiovascular disease,&amp;quot; explains Dr. Goldberg. The first being your health while pregnant. &amp;quot;There are conditions during pregnancy such as preeclampsia, which causes an elevation of blood pressure and effects the kidneys and causes protein in the urine, as well as excessively swollen legs and gestational diabetes, both of which are markers for the possibility of forming heart disease when you are older\u2014once you&amp;#039;ve had any of these, you should get regular checkups as they can come back,&amp;quot; she says. But also seemingly unrelated diseases are risk factors, too, including auto-immune diseases like lupus, mainly because there&amp;#039;s an increased amount of plaque buildup in arteries due to it being an inflammatory disease. &amp;quot;Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among those with lupus,&amp;quot; explains Dr. Goldberg. &amp;quot;If you have lupus, it&amp;#039;s so important that you receive a combination of medical support that includes a rheumatologist and cardiologist.&amp;quot; As for what you can do to take the health of your heart in your own hands? Besides keeping the main checklist of risk factors in check (such as not smoking, and keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol in the healthy digits), Dr. Goldberg says that following a healthy diet and regular exercise regimen is essential. Research shows that consuming on average five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, along with a low fat, sugar, and salt diet (and processed foods in general), while including whole grains (not simple carbs) helps to lower blood pressure. &amp;quot;There are essential minerals, antioxidants and vitamins in these foods that help vessels remain more flexible as well as keep blood pressure at a healthy level,&amp;quot; says Dr. Goldberg. And as always, going right to the source is always best\u2014as in opt for real food, not supplements whenever possible. &amp;quot;A lot of patients ask about taking vitamins and if that will help keep their heart healthy, however, eating a diet with necessary nutritents is what&amp;#039;s best to lower your risk of heart disease,&amp;quot; she says. Then of course, along with what you eat, how you move your body matters for your heart too. &amp;quot;Most research has been done on how aerobic exercise (aka cardio) can help keep the heart healthy,&amp;quot; says Dr. Goldberg. &amp;quot;And as little as a half hour every day can be enough to see results.&amp;quot; Especially important is when to get your heart checked by a professional. Typically an electrocardiogram is recommended once you hit 40-something to monitor your base heart rate and rhythm, however, Dr. Goldberg says there are several reasons that you should be getting in sooner (as in 20&amp;#039;s or 30&amp;#039;s). &amp;quot;If you have high cholesterol or any form of diabetes, you should be getting checked earlier,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;Diabetes is a strong risk factor for heart disease because it is a big stimulus to the build up of plaque.&amp;quot; But a major, and often overlooked, red flag when it comes to your risk of heart disease: a family history. Although it seems early, Dr. Goldberg says that if either parent has had the disease (if Dad was 50 or younger; Mom, 60 or younger), you need to get checked in your 30s or even in your 20s to look for warning signs. For more information on female heart disease as well as the American Heart Association&amp;#039;s Go Red For Women initiative throughout the month of February, visit goredforwomen.org. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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