Be still my heart

Seems like women in midlife are having more heart attacks, while men are having fewer.

Reporting in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers say that they looked at men and women between the ages of 35 and 54. Between 1988 and 1994, and 1999 and 2004, the rate of heart attacks increased and risk for heart disease worsened in women, while the opposite was seen in men in similar age groups. Even though men continued to have higher heart attacks rates, the gap between the genders  narrowed considerably. Among the risk factors that were considered, it appeared that during these time periods, high blood pressure and rates of smoking seemed to improve in men but not in women, while the numbers of people with diabetes remained the same.

So, what’s the take-away here? Are heart attacks increasing amongst women because they are not being paid as close attention to as men? An editorial that accompanies the study suggests that men are indeed, “more aggressively informed, counseled and treated” for heart disease compared to their female counterparts. However, are there other factors also at play, such declining testosterone levels or hot flashes?

Although the inherent aspects of menopause and associated heart disease risks cannot be entirely prevented, there are positive steps that you can take, including a heart healthy diet, moderate alcohol intake and of course, physical activity. Recent data also point to the positive benefits of blueberries, flavonoids and even laughter. In the meantime, like breast cancer, all I can say is “can’t we do better?”