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Heart Disease - Gender Matters! Stress, Hormones and Heart Disease Stress and hormone imbalance are inseparably linked to heart disease. The resultant hormonal imbalances caused by stress result in imbalances in our sex hormones. Namely, imbalances of Progesterone, Estrogen, Testosterone. These imbalances can lead to significant risk factors such as Weight gain, High LDL (Bad) cholesterol, High triglycerides, Low HDL (good) cholesterol, Diabetes, and High blood pressure. Many of these risk factors can be lumped under the diagnoses of "metabolic syndrome". These metabolic changes, that many women experience, put us at higher risk of heart disease. In fact, women tend to have more risk factors then men for heart disease. And…risk factors don’t just add up, the multiply your risk of heart disease. Stress and Heart disease Corporate women more likely to develop heart disease. A study in 2004 showed that women with "active job strain" defined as: Job demands high Positions of authority Autonomous Able to make decisions Are 3 times more likely to develop heart disease than other women - Am J of Epidemiology, 2004; 159:950-958 Hormones and Heart Disease For years we have known that hormonal deficiencies associated with Peri-menopause dramatically increase the risk of heart disease. In fact, this has spawned the use of Synthetic hormones to "treat" or prevent heart disease in menopausal women. Many clinical trials have been done to show the efficacy of such treatment. However, there has been significant controversy around this issue. The Women’s Health Initiative, for example showed an 81% increased risk for coronary heart disease in the first year of using synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone (Prempro) - Manson, J, et al NEJM Aug. 2003; 349: 523-534 This startling study has caused the medical community to search for additional answers to the link of hormones and heart disease Is Menopause the Cause or consequence of Coronary Heart Disease? In a recent, landmark study, Dr. Kok and colleague flipped the hypothesis of menopause and heart disease upside down!. In other words, they suggest that cardiovascular disease may actually cause menopause. In their study they found that a higher Premenopausal total cholesterol level was associated with an earlier menopause age. Additionally, an increase blood pressure and weight were likewise associated with premature menopause. - Helen S. Kok, M.D. Ph.D. American Journal of Cardiology, May 24, 2006 The good news is… a decrease in total cholesterol showed a statistically significant delay in the onset of menopause What does Dr. Kok and colleagues suggest may be creating such havoc? Either through direct damage to the ovarian blood supply (from poor cardiovascular health) or indirectly to an adverse impact on the endocrine system (that regulates & Produces hormones) we are seeing a decrease in hormone production and premature menopause. As Dr. Kok research suggests Hormones and heart disease are inseparably connected and difficult to disentangle! Prevention is the Key! Due to the hormonal and metabolic intricacies of a women’s heart (discussed above) we are finding that women are not responding as favorably as men to medical or surgical interventions for heart disease. In fact, women are very, very often mis-diagnosed. (see http://www.reddress.org and http://www.womenheart.org for more details) Thus, we as women, must use our wisdom, intuition, and powerful energy to prevent heart disease. Besides stress and hormone balance, we need to focus on healthy (even optimal) cholesterol levels. Once again, gender matters! Other Gender Matters in heart disease Cholesterol challenges – what to do? We have been well educated by western medicine and pharmaceutical companies about the need to control or lower our cholesterol- the bad LDL cholesterol. In fact, it is known to be the biggest preventable risk factor we need to address. And with the recent research showing the possible link to high cholesterol and pre-mature menopause, this is certainly something that we as women must address! However…often, left out of the equation, especially for women is the need for higher HDL (the healthy cholesterol) For women, particularly we are finding the need to focus on HDL and even Triglycerides (TG) The Framingham Heart Study, which is a large ongoing trial of over 50 years, suggests that TG and HDL may have greater Predictive potential in Women compared to Men. In fact, HDL and Triglycerides may be more important predictors of Cardiovascular Risk than Total Cholesterol or LDL–C The combination of low HDL-C and high Triglycerides has a 10-fold increase risk of CHD mortality for women A HDL < 50 is considered a risk for cardiovascular disease for women. And…Statin drugs like Lipitor raise HDL only on average of 10%. If your cholesterol numbers (LDL, HDL, Triglycerides) are of concern for you, and you would like to learn about natural solutions instead of prescription drugs, see the Bios Life ™ page for more info. This is a formulation I highly recommend to all of my clients. At Women, Wisdom & Wellness, Inc. we are committed to educating and providing solutions for you to eradicate heart disease – naturally! Watch for other heart health news and links to come!