We often think that heart disease is more of men's health problem than women's. Before menopause, women has the advantage of estrogen which have a protective function for the cardiovascular. Bad news is estrogen levels drop with menopause, then combined with weight gain and ageing, women face equal risk of developing heart disease with men.
According to Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin, consultant cardiologist and director of the Heart
Foundation of Malaysia (Yayasan Jantung Malaysia, YJM)* "Heart disease
has been the number one killer of women in Malaysia and the world for
decades....Older women also tend to have higher
levels of triglycerides and LDL ('bad') cholesterol, not just due to
menopause, but also due to weight gain and ageing. All of these increase
the risk of heart disease in a woman."
I am still working towards reducing my risk of cardiovascular problems; have cholesterol total at 6.5 (as at January 28) lowered to 5.49 (as at February 29).
*Source: http://www.malaysianheart.org/article.php?aid=628
No comments:
Post a Comment