Six steps to cut your risk of a heart attack by 90%

Heart disease in women is under diagnosed and under treated. But why wait until the worst happens? Follow these steps to cut your risk by 90%.

Switch off

Sitting glued to the box is bad for your heart – so try to limit yourself to seven hours a week. The problem is not what you’re watching but the sitting involved. Research has shown that being sedentary for prolonged periods is bad for you – even if you exercise regularly. It affects blood sugar and fat levels and increases the levels of inflammatory chemicals linked to diabetes and heart disease. On the other hand, standing up and walking around uses a series of postural muscles and activates metabolic processes that may help protect your heart.

Stay lean

The more weight you have to carry, the greater the strain on your heart and blood vessels and the more likely you are to develop diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol – all major risk factors for heart disease. Six in 10 women in the UK are now overweight or obese – try keeping to a healthy BMI (between 18.5 and 24.9) but even losing 5-10% of your body weight will reduce your risk of heart disease. Your shape is important, too, so if you’re an apple shape with excess weight around your waist (31.5in/79cm or more) your risk of heart disease increases. One study found that 63% of heart attacks in Western Europe were linked to too much fat around the middle.

Stop at one glass

Nearly a third of women drink more than the recommended amount and one in 10 are classified as heavy drinkers. And while a little alcohol (just one to two units a day – the equivalent of a small glass of wine) may give some protection after the menopause, any more increases your risk. Women are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol than men. Because they have more fat and less water in their bodies, alcohol is absorbed more quickly and they are more susceptible to its toxic effects.

Get a move on

It’s clearly a struggle for lots of us – in fact, only one in four women does enough physical activity to protect the heart. But you don’t have to do much to make a difference. Researchers from Indiana University, who followed 70,000 women aged 25-42 for 20 years, recommend doing two and a half hours of exercise a week. While it may sound like a lot, that’s less than half an hour a day, and if you split it into short 10 or 15-minute bursts it feels more manageable. Walking is probably the best way to start. It’s low risk, easy to fit in and gentle on joints. Start by doing 10 minutes, three times a day, and build up.

Don't smoke

It doubles the risk of heart disease and recent research suggests that women may be especially vulnerable. A US study found that women who smoke have a 25% higher risk of developing heart disease than male smokers. Women have smaller, narrower blood vessels than men and it’s thought that the toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke may have a more potent effect on women due to their biological make-up. Stop smoking now and your risk will be reduced by a quarter within two years.

Eat the med

If there’s one condition where there’s overwhelming evidence that diet makes a difference, it’s heart disease. Study after study has shown the benefits of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, oily fish, beans, pulses and grains, with only small amounts of red meat, dairy, and very little sugar and salt. A recent Spanish study of people at risk of heart disease or stroke found that, after five years, people eating a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts or extra olive oil were 30% less likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those eating a standard low-fat diet.

Start from today

Heart disease is largely preventable – you can’t change your family history or your genes but there are numerous risk factors that you can take steps to address. ‘Women need to start thinking about the risk of heart disease much earlier,’ says Dr Ghada Mikhail, consultant cardiologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. ‘What you do in your 30s and 40s will have a major impact on your risk later on – and, whatever your age, it’s never too late to start.’

The idea that coronary heart disease is only an issue for older women is starting to look very wide of the mark. Figures show there are a staggering 140,000 women under 65 with heart disease and almost a third of them are under 55. What’s more, research shows that women do worse than men after having a heart attack – and younger women seem to fare worst of all. Research by Indiana University found that the average age for being diagnosed with heart disease was 50 – and that these six healthy lifestyle rules could prevent three in four heart attacks in younger women. The women who followed all six rules almost eliminated their risk – with a 92% lower chance of having a heart attack compared with the women who followed none.