DON'T LET HEART DISEASE SNEAK UP ON YOU
8 WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF
You can have wealth, the most loving partner in the world, a great job and an adorable family, but if your heart’s in bad shape, you can just forget about all of it. So you need to take care of your heart, just like you do with your car or your house or any other thing of value.
Unfortunately, that's not what women do. Over the years I’ve seen countless women put themselves last—prioritizing the needs of their family and friends, and leaving their own health off their to-do list. It’s time to break this unhealthy cycle. You know your credit score and your debt-to-income ratio, right? Well, your heart metrics are even more important.
Heart disease is this nation’s leading killer of women. 90% of women have at least one risk factor for it, yet 80% of deaths from heart disease are completely preventable, according to the American Heart Association. Fortunately, you can make a big difference to the health of your heart just by paying attention to eight numbers.
120/80. That's the number to keep in mind for blood pressure, because you want to stay under it. Chances are, if you go to your doctor and your blood pressure is 130/85, you’ll be told that you’re absolutely fine. You’re not. In fact, you’ve got double the risk of a heart attack compared to someone whose blood pressure is normal—that is, under 120/80. That’s why it’s so important to know your blood pressure and to get it checked every time you visit the doctor. If your systolic (top) number is in the 120s or 130s, we’re not necessarily going to rush to put you on medication, but we’re going to urge you to make lifestyle changes—think losing weight, cutting back on salt, eating a healthy diet and exercising—to get your numbers out of this iffy zone.
50 and 150. We're talking cholesterol here. If your total cholesterol numbers are under 200, you may get a thumbs-up from your doctor. And sure, that's a fine score—but you should specifically focus on two of the measurements that go into that total, namely your levels of HDL, or good cholesterol, and triglycerides, another type of fat found in the blood. There has been some research to indicate that these two indicators may predict the risk of heart disease better than either total cholesterol or LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. A 2017 study published in the medical journal Diabetes Care, for example, found that people with high triglycerides and low HDL had 1.32 times the risk of heart disease or stroke, compared to those who had normal triglyceride levels. Your HDL should be over 50, while your triglycerides should be under 150.
100. This number is all about your blood sugar—because (surprise!) your blood sugar affects the health of your heart. In fact, diabetes (in which blood sugar levels are consistently too high) is a major risk factor for heart disease. That's especially true for women: If they have diabetes, they have a 40% greater risk of developing heart disease and a 25% greater risk of suffering a stroke than men with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet about a quarter of people with diabetes walk around undiagnosed. The American Diabetes Association recommends that everyone get tested for diabetes every one to three years after they hit the age of 45—or more frequently if you have risk factors like being overweight or a family history of the disease. Aim for a fasting blood-glucose level of less than 100 mg/dL, and an A1C (a blood test that indicates your average blood-sugar level over the last couple of months) of under 5.7.
35. Do you know your waist size? A lot of women stress about their weight, but the number on the scale is actually less important than how many inches the tape measure takes to circle your waist size. Women whose waist circumference is over 35 inches are almost one-third more likely to die from heart disease than those with smaller waists, according to a study published in July 2019 in the journal JAMA Network Open. That’s because the fat around the abdomen—known as visceral fat—churns out certain inflammatory substances that hike up your blood pressure and sugar levels. I even go one step further and tell women their waist should be no more than half their height in inches. That means 30 inches for a 5-foot-tall woman.
150. Only about one in five women gets the 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise that the American Heart Association recommends each week. Look, I get it. You’re busy. But you can get your exercise in short bursts throughout the day—research shows that this is just as good as a single 30-minute session. I swear by my Apple Watch to keep track. I was just away at the Mayo Clinic’s Women’s Health Update and I grabbed five minutes whenever I could to get in a quick walk. It worked! Resistance training is also key. Lifting weights for less than an hour a week reduces your risk for a heart attack or stroke by up to 70%, according to a 2019 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. That’s just 30 minutes twice a week—we can do that!
Still, keep in mind that regular exercise won't do the trick if you spend the rest of your day in a seated position. There’s a lot of talk now about how sitting is the new smoking. I’m not sure I’d go that far, but it does appear that sitting at your desk all day negates the time at the gym. I’ve set my Apple Watch to send me an alert every half hour so that I get up and walk around for a few minutes. Even just standing at your desk can help: One 2016 study found that when people with high blood pressure stand for 2.5 hours out of an eight-hour work day, they lower their blood pressure by five points.
7. That's the minimum number of hours of sleep each night that most women need—and if you don’t get enough shut-eye, you’re setting yourself up for a host of heart problems. We’re not absolutely sure why skimping on sleep hurts your heart, but it seems that getting too little causes all your bodily functions to be thrown off balance, including your blood pressure and how your body processes blood sugar. One study published in October 2019 in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that middle-aged people with high blood pressure and/or type 2 diabetes who got less than six hours of sleep a night had twice as big an increase in their risk of dying from heart attack or stroke as longer-sleepers with the same health conditions.
5 – 7. That’s how many servings of fruits and veggies you should get every day. I’m a big proponent of the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), a low-sodium diet that’s rich in fruits, veggies and low-fat dairy products. These foods are all high in potassium, magnesium and calcium—nutrients that help lower blood pressure. One 2017 study of more than 400 adults with high blood pressure found that combining a low-salt diet with the DASH diet lowered blood pressure as much as medication.
2 – 3. Taking that many minutes when needed as a psychological timeout can have a big payoff, because we know that too much stress takes a toll on your heart health. It causes your brain to churn out cortisol, which, over time, can increase your blood pressure, cholesterol and even blood sugar levels, and promotes the buildup of plaque in your arteries. One study of over 17,000 women found that those whose work is highly stressful have a 40% increased risk of developing heart disease compared to those in more relaxed job environments. But we also know the issue is more than just stress itself—it’s how you handle it. Every time you feel stressed or overwhelmed, take two or three minutes to pause and do some deep breathing. I personally love two-minute meditation apps because they give you just enough time to take some deep breaths, reset your brain and move on.
So those are my recommendations. Now, here's one more number to keep in mind: 1. If all these numbers put together seem daunting, then start slow and tackle them one at a time. Focus on adding 10 minutes of an activity like brisk walking to your day, for example, and gradually add on from there. When planning meals, try to fill at least half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Even these small steps can make a big difference when it comes to your heart health. Most importantly, make yourself a priority (yes, #1!). Women are putting themselves last, and it’s harming their hearts. Let's break that cycle, starting now.
For more information on Katz Institute for Women’s Health visit https://www.northwell.edu/katz-institute-for-womens-health
