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A woman is 10-12 times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than breast cancer, but many times this information is not emphasized. Only 3% of women think they will die of CVD when in reality the statistics show that 45% will die of CVD. Nonetheless, 45% of women think they will die of breast cancer and only 3% actually do. For African-American women, the risk is two-fold higher than for Caucasian women. Fortunately, alterations in diet and lifestyle make this a preventable disease. Doctors try to minimize the risk by recommending blood pressure checks at least every 2 years and cholesterol tests beginning age 45 and repeated every 5 years. A large study with over 84,000 women, the Nurses Health Study, showed the lowest rates of CVD occurred in the group that did not smoke, were not over or underweight, exercised 30 minutes a day, had increased fiber intake, fish oil, and folic acid and had a high ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to saturated fats, with a low intake of trans-fatty acids.
In a study involving 39,876 women and lasting over 5 years, the women who ate 7 servings of fruit and vegetables had 68% reduction in the incidence of CVD. |