Heart Disease - the #1 Killer of Women

Each year 88,000 women from the ages of 45 to 64 have a heart attack. This is why women need to know how to protect themselves from heart disease. This is a very crucial matter for women and we need to know the measures we need to take in order to ensure we have a healthy heart.

February is American Heart month. Women need to know the facts of heart disease. Knowing the difference between fact and rumors about this deadly disease could save your life and lower your risk of getting heart disease.

Many women think the obvious sign of a heart attack are a crushing pain your chest. This however is not true. At least 70% of female heart attack victims have no chest pain at all. The most common symptoms are nausea or vomiting; cold sweats, shortness of breath, heartburn like pain, light headedness or fainting and pain in the jaw, throat, back or arm that will not go away. You may also experience unusual fatigue and have sleeping problems. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you need to be checked for heart disease. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Many women also think being over weight increases your risk; this is true but only to an extent. The better way to gauge your risk is by waist to hip ratio. To find out your ratio, divide your waist measurement in inches by your hip measurement. O.85 or above means your at risk of heart disease. The higher, the number the greater your risk is.

Some people also think an aspirin a day keeps heart disease away. This also is not true. While aspirin lowers the risk of a heart attack for those who have already had one it does not do much for heart disease or first time heart attacks.

Dark chocolate may help your heart it can decrease your risk of heart disease. Only dark chocolate helps because it is rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids also lower blood pressure. However it is still best for your waistline and your overall health to only have chocolate as a treat now and then.