Health: Heart disease in women

Heart disease isn't something that’s often thought about in women, yet it's the number one cause of death in New Zealand, killing twice as many women than any other cause. Dr Marissa Kellaher explains why it’s important to be aware of risks associated to your heart and shares some ways to improve your heart health.

Women's hearts are smaller than men's, beat differently, and have smaller arteries, meaning heart attacks in women can have atypical symptoms (such as shortness of breathing or severe fatigue). This means women's heart issues are less likely to be diagnosed earlier than men, and as a result can have worse outcomes.

In addition to this, hormonal conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome can increase the risk of future heart disease, as can pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and preterm delivery. It's thought that pregnancy can 'unmask' underlying metabolic issues, due to hormonal changes and extra strain on the cardiovascular system.

Seemingly unrelated health issues such as depression and autoimmune disease also increase the risk of heart disease, via chronic inflammation and other mechanisms.

And don't forget menopause.

This is a significant time of transition in a woman's life, but the hormonal changes that occur don't just cause hot flushes and night sweats, they can also cause palpitations, and increase the risk of heart issues, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, due to the loss of protective oestrogen.

But it's not all bad news, as research consistently shows that up to 80% of heart disease is potentially preventable. Following a healthy lifestyle can also make a big difference to symptoms, quality of life, and prognosis in people with existing heart issues.

Some proven ways to help heart health (that are also great for overall health) include:

• Avoiding highly processed foods, especially those high in added salt/sugar.
• Eating a plant focused, whole food, Mediterranean style diet high in fibre and low in refined carbs.
• Aiming for healthy unsaturated fats in your diet (nuts, seeds, avocado and olive oil) and limiting full fat dairy, fatty meat, and coconut/palm oil.
• Getting regular exercise and avoiding sitting for long periods.
• Not smoking.
• Avoiding or minimising alcohol.
• Getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night, and watching for conditions like sleep apnoea which is strongly linked with heart disease.
• Trying to keep stress at a manageable level, and practicing stress reduction strategies such as belly breathing, mindfulness, and slowing down.
• Avoiding air pollutants as much as possible and being aware of your environment.
• Regularly spending time in nature.
• Staying socially connected.

See your doctor for a heart health checkup if you have risk factors for heart disease or a strong family history of it.

But there's also so much you can do yourself, and your health and well-being will benefit too.

Wishing you (heart) health and happiness this winter!

For more details on looking after your heart health, check out the blog post on yourlifestylemedics.com. Dr Marissa Kelaher is a GP and lifestyle medicine doctor. She runs health courses and offers one-on-one consults.