Women and heart disease

Secondly, it is clear that smoking, being overweight or obese, having a poor diet, being sedentary and having high blood pressure – all of which are contributing factors – will increase your risk of CHD whether you’re a man or a woman.

How to reduce your risk of CHD

1. Stop smoking. Studies show that compared to smokers, the risk of heart disease is reduced among those who have given up. After about 15 years, an ex-smoker's risk of heart attack is only slightly greater than someone who has never smoked. Smoking carries almost twice the risk of developing CHD in women than it does in men.

2. Watch your diet. Increase the amount of fibre-rich starchy foods, fruit and vegetables you eat by at least half and cut down on foods high in fat and saturated fat. Also reduce the amount of salt in your diet. Government guidelines recommend no more than 6g a day.

3. Take folic acid and selenium seriously. According to international heart disease expert Dr Margaret Ashwell, OBE, the programme manager for the Food Standards Agency’s project on optimal nutrition status, a good intake of micronutrients, particularly selenium and folic acid helps protect against heart disease. The more calories we have the higher our intake of micronutrients. But because women naturally tend to eat less and are more likely to watch their weight during a significant part of their lives, their micronutrients intake will therefore be lower, which could increase their risk of heart disease.

4. Increase physical activity. Try to do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week. The Health Development Agency, which carried out a major health review in the UK recently, estimates that if half of those who were already exercising a few times a week increased that to five times there would be a 7% reduction in CHD deaths. Examples of moderate physical activity include brisk walking, swimming, cycling and dancing.

5. Avoid being overweight or obese. The location of fat has an effect on CHD risk no matter what your body mass index is. Apple-shaped women are more at risk than those who are pear-shaped (having more fat around the hips). In 1998, 32% of women in England were classified as being overweight and an additional 21% were obese.

6. Prevent and treat high blood pressure. Studies have found that prolonged reduction of blood pressure levels leads to a reduction of risk for stroke and CHD. Surveys suggest that around 40 per cent of women in the UK have raised blood pressure. Uncontrolled blood pressure gives a 3-5 fold increased risk of CHD.

If you are concerned about your risks of developing heart disease, seek advice from your GP.