Women more vulnerable to heart disease

Thursday brought another full house for Sarver Heart Center’s sixth lecture of the season at Canoa Hills Center.

In addition to about 175 seniors who came to hear Dr. Lorraine Mackstaller speak on “Women and Heart Disease,” Miss Arizona 2005 Audrey Sibley and Miss Pima County Stephanie Brooks also attended.

Brooks, a UA student majoring in dance, said she attended to increase her knowledge about cardiovascular disease. Since her grandmother developed heart disease in 2005, her entire family has adopted a healthy-heart lifestyle, she said.

Outlining the latest medical facts, Mackstaller said cardiovascular disease kills twice as many women as all types of cancer and 17 million die worldwide of heart disease annually.

With more public awareness and education, heart disease in women has shifted from 1 in 3 to 1 in 4.

The key factors in maintaining a healthy heart, Mackstaller said, are eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, no smoking and being emotionally stable.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death versus breast cancer, which is the sixth leading cause of death; about 500,000 women die of heart disease annually in the U.S.,” Mackstaller told the audience.

And according to a new study, females born now have a life expectancy of 78 to 80. “But the older you are the more likely you are to live longer.

“More women over 85 die of heart disease; that’s because there are more of us. And women don’t have as good outcomes with heart disease as men; therefore the higher mortality,” she said.

Women are more likely to have a worse prognosis because they tend to be overweight and sedentary, they have a higher incidence of diabetes — and they have smaller coronary arties.

Simply stated, Mackstaller said, “Heart disease in women is different than heart disease in men.

“As a preventative women over 65 should take one baby aspirin a day, but if you smoke it negates the aspirin.”

Aspirin should be uncoated and dissolve in a glass of water; if it doesn’t it probably isn’t dissolving in the body.

Extreme fatigue is often a warning sign of a heart attack in women. “If you can’t make the bed without stopping; if you can’t take a shower and wash your hair without resting pay attention to that,” she warned and gave some important tidbits of heart healthy advice.

“Set an example of a healthy lifestyle for your family—your children and grandchildren… caffeine is not good for diabetes… white sugar and white flour—don’t eat it. It raises the triglycerides.

“Salt is a killer; it makes the arteries stiffer… the darker the fruit or vegetable the better the carbohydrates, portion size matters and walk, walk, walk.”

She closed with two strong comments: “If I had my way there’d be no fast food restaurants” and “cardiovascular risk is a vulnerability — not an inevitability.”

The seventh and last Sarver Heart Center lecture of the season will be on Thursday, April 17 at Canoa Hills Center at 10 a.m.

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.