10 Ways You Can Help Control Your Risk Of Heart Disease
Did you know you could have a heart attack without even realising it?
Heart disease and stroke combined are the leading cause of death for Singaporean women, killing six times as many women as breast cancer. 1 in 3 women die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and it often goes undiagnosed or undertreated in women. Moreover, the disease can affect women at all ages.
According to the National University Heart Centre of Singapore, the CVD death rate among young women aged 35 to 54 is increasing, women above age 85 also make up 74% of hospital stays for non-specific chest pains, higher than any other condition examined.
So clearly it's important, now moreso than ever before to be aware of what it takes to keep our hearts healthy and to educate ourselves on the realities of heart disease and heart attacks. Here, we list some of the major issues women should look out for and what should be done according to the Singapore Heart Foundation and other experts.
If you have a family history of heart disease, being slim isn't enough to protect you from a heart attack or stroke. Because if your mother, father, or sibling had a heart attack before 60, that means your risk of heart attack is increased, too.
According to the Singapore Heart Foundation, women generally have higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol than men, due to the female sex hormone, oestrogen. But when women undergo menopause around 50 years old and oestrogen level starts to fall, cholesterol may begin to build up on artery walls. A build-up of plaque in vessels can increase the risk of heart disease or stroke.
What to do: If you have a family history of heart problems or high cholesterol, speak to your GP about changes that can reduce your risk of poor heart health. Your GP may also recommend medication if you have high cholesterol.
According to the National Population Health Survey 2020, 30.2% of women aged 18 to 74 in Singapore are reported to have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, with the prevalence increasing with age.
Your risk of high blood pressure is higher if you:
Have a family history of high blood pressure
Exceed healthy weight range by 9kg (20 pounds or more)
Have reached menopause
Consume alcohol excessively
Smoke
Have a stressful lifestyle
Have gestational hypertension, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy
What to do: Try these simple methods to lower your high blood pressure naturally. And when you see your GP for a check-up or for another health issue, get your blood pressure checked, too.
It's no surprise that women are stressed, but this in itself can also lead to heart issues. As the Singapore Heart Foundation says, "even with supportive spouses, many women still struggle with balancing work and home tasks like helping the kids with homework and cleaning up household messes while scrambling to make dinner after a 10-hour workday filled with deadlines. According to studies, all these stressors could put women at higher risk of a stroke, developing heart disease and other chronic conditions than men."
Stress can also make it hard to practice healthy heart-habits, such as exercising, having a healthy diet and getting enough sleep.
"People who are sleep deprived are often stressed and then the body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenalin. These hormones drive up blood pressure," explains Professor Tom Marwick from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia. People over the age of 45 who sleep less than six hours have double the risk of stroke or heart attack than people who sleep for longer.
What to do: Aim for seven or eight hours of sleep each night. Can't sleep well? Try these methods to catch more quality Zs.
HRT has been controversial but it may lower the risk of atherosclerosis — the build-up of plaque that damages and blocks the heart’s arteries. The American College of Cardiology reports that research has found women using HRT are 30 per cent less likely to die than menopausal women who don't use HRT and 36 per cent less likely to have signs of high heart attack risk.
What to do: If you are menopausal, discuss the possible benefits of HRT for your heart health with your GP.
“Half of all heart attacks are silent — they happen without women realising it because women can have different symptoms to men. Women don’t always get crushing chest pain," says Assoc Prof Carrington. In fact, up to 40 per cent of women don’t have that classic heart pain.
What to do: Recognise the signs of heart attack for women — shortness of breath, pain in the jaw or back, nausea, clamminess and fatigue. If you experience possible symptoms, call 995 immediately.
The risk of dying prematurely from health problems drops by almost a third, and the risk of dying from heart disease drops by a quarter if you have at least 800g of fruits and vegetables a day.
What to do: Apples, pears, citrus fruit, and leafy vegetables are the best for heart health.
"For a healthy heart you need to sweat and puff a little," says Prof Marwick. Your heart is a muscle and like any muscle, using it keeps it strong. Exercise also improves heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure and being overweight.
What to do: Aim for 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate activity, such as brisk walking or a game of tennis, or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous exercise- jogging or aerobics - each week.
Some over-the-counter painkillers may raise the risk of a heart attack. A large Danish study over 10 years found a 31 per cent increased risk of a heart attack when people used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
What to do: Use drugs, such as ibuprofen, with caution and don't take more than 1,200 mg per day.
"Loneliness and isolation can activate stress pathways that can lead to depression," says Professor Marwick. People with depression are four times as likely to have heart disease and you're also twice as likely to die after a heart disease diagnosis with depression.
What to do: Know the signs of depression – withdrawing, poor concentration, using alcohol or drugs, weight gain or weight loss, sleep disturbances, and feeling like a failure. For those who struggle with loneliness, try volunteering, or joining a community or interest group.
An apple-shaped body is at greater risk of heart problems because excess fat around the stomach is stored internally around the kidneys, liver, digestive organs, and pancreas.
What to do: Women should aim for a waist measurement of less than 80cm.
This post was first published on September 25, 2019, and updated on September 29, 2022.