by drjudy » Sat Feb 19, 2005 11:00 am
Hormones or no, we all need to consider heart protection. The best protection? Exercise, healthy diet, normal weight.
There are a lot of things to consider with respect to further protection beyond a healthy lifestyle. Most particular is your personal risk for heart disease based on your family history and personal health history. The top five risk factors for heart disease are:
1. Age over 55 (45 for men).
2. A history of early heart disease in a first degree relative (parent, sibling, or child) defined as younger than 55 in male relatives and 65 in female relatives.
3. Cigarette use
4. High blood pressure, even if it's treated.
5. Diabetes
Other risk factors include abnormal fasting blood sugars short of diabetes (between 100 and 125), obesity, metabolic syndrome (which includes low HDL cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, central obesity--waistline greater than 35 inches for women or 45 inches for men, blood pressure at or greater than 135/85, fasting blood sugar greater than 110).
I am fortunate to not yet have any risk factors for heart disease, but choose to take omega-3 fatty acids daily (1000 mg. twice daily), and a multi-vitamin that includes 400 mcg. of folate. People at intermediate risk should consider a daily aspirin--the downside there is that it can cause stomach bleeding.
Green tea benefits everyone, change or no. Good for heart, good for immune system, good for blood pressure, good cancer prevention.
Hope this helps. It's an analysis that I undertake with my patients at every annual exam.
Best wishes,
Judy