[Meg]

The American Heart Association issued new guidelines today for lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke for American women:

In general, the guidelines aim to get women and doctors to focus on the long-term risk of high blood pressure, smoking, lack of exercise or being overweight -- even if a woman's current health seems fine. Even a single risk factor at age 50 greatly raises the chance of heart disease or stroke later, and only about 10 percent of American women are free of these problems.

Wow! Only 10% of American women don't smoke, don't have high blood pressure, get sufficient exercise, and are at a normal weight. That's shocking!

What's the AHA's advice for women?

• Exercise. Get at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise on most and preferably all days, 60 to 90 minutes if you need to lose weight.

• Diet. Eat mostly fruits and vegetables, whole grain and high-fiber foods, fish at least twice a week, and little salt. Limit saturated fat to less than 10 percent of calories, 7 percent if possible, and trans fats to less than 1 percent. Limit alcohol to one drink or less a day.

• Don't smoke. Use nicotine replacement products if needed to stop.

• Weight. Keep body-mass index under 25.

• Supplements. Consider omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) if you already have heart disease. Do not take extra folic acid or antioxidants such as vitamins E, C and beta carotene, for heart disease prevention.

• Blood pressure, cholesterol. Keep under control, with medicine if needed. Keep LDL or bad cholesterol under 100 if at high risk of heart disease and under 70 if at very high risk.

• Aspirin. Daily use is already urged for women at high risk, and the guidelines now say the dose can go up to 325 milligrams. All other women should consider 81 milligram "baby aspirin" daily or 100 milligrams every other day for stroke prevention.

Wouldn't it be awesome if all of us here at 3FC ended up being one of the 10% without any of the four risk factors for heart disease?

New heart guidelines urge women to exercise, cut fat, consider aspirin (my emphasis added)