Nearly two-thirds of women who die suddenly from heart disease have no previous symptoms, so it’s critical to prevent heart disease in the first place.

Patrick Withrow, M.D., cardiologist with The Heart Group, said simple lifestyle changes can help lower the risks of heart disease. The recommendations involve lifestyle changes, including the following top priorities:

• Don’t smoke. Smokers who quit can cut their heart disease risk in half after one year.
• Be active at least 30 minutes on most, if not all, days of the week.
• Eat a diet low in saturated fat and high in fruits, veggies, grains, low-fat dairy and lean sources of protein.
• Balance your activity level with what you eat to maintain a healthy weight. If you’re overweight, losing extra pounds can help lower your risk. If you need help losing weight, a doctor can help you build a plan to slim down.

Withrow recommends keeping blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar in check. If you don’t know where you stand, your physician can screen for these risk factors with simple tests. Withrow also suggests that using medicines may help treat some risk factors for heart disease. “For example, women at high risk may be treated with ACE inhibitors, betablockers, statins, aspirin and other medications,” said Withrow.

Building Baptist Heart Center

The new Baptist Heart Center is scheduled for completion in spring 2007 and will house all invasive and noninvasive cardiac procedures, including cardiac cath labs, echocardiology, nuclear cardiology, ultrasound and stress-testing facilities. The hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation department also will be relocated to the new center. Learn more about the new Baptist Heart Center, as well as additional heart-healthy information, including heart-healthy recipes, preparing for your procedure and more—by phoning Baptist Health Line at (270) 575-2918 or visiting us online at westernbaptist.com.