by Hollie McAfee, Assistant Marketing Director, F.A. Peabody Insurance
Did you know these four facts about heart disease and heart health in women?
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the United States.
- Heart disease causes 1 in 3 deaths each year.
- In addition to chest pain and shortness of breath, women often experience symptoms such as nausea/vomiting and back and jaw pain, while having a heart attack.
- Studies show that good choices for heart health have resulted in 330 fewer women dying from heart disease per day.
It’s fair to say that most of us have lost a loved one to heart disease, or at least know someone who is battling the condition. My grandmother died of congestive heart failure in 2008. My father has a serious heart condition that required open-heart surgery in 2017. Watching both of them suffer with heart disease has been hard on our family. I don’t wish to go through it or put my family through it any time soon.
Now that I am a middle aged woman, I like to be active and hike outdoors. Being outdoors in Maine in the winter isn’t for everyone, but fortunately there are lots of options for exercise! Eating healthy and keeping my doctors’ appointments are other habits that I’ve adopted to keep my heart in shape.
For more information about heart disease in women, visit www.goredforwomen.org.
Who do you wear red for?