Why we wear red: Heart disease and women

February 3, 2022 | By MultiCare Health System

By the Pulse Heart Institute Prevention Center of Excellence – Uma Krishnan, MD, and Pam Kozu, RN

February is National Heart Month, and the first Friday in February is National Wear Red Day.

Since 2003, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association have joined together to raise awareness of heart disease in women through their “Go Red” campaign.

Wear red the first Friday in February (Feb. 4 this year) to raise awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, causing one in three deaths each year.

Risk factors for women

Traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease include high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and elevated LDL cholesterol. But reproductive history has an impact on your risk of heart disease as well:

Pregnancy: Many experience complications of pregnancy such as hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes or preterm delivery. Multiple studies have shown that these complications increase a person’s long-term risk of cardiovascular disease. Premature menopause is also a risk factor for heart disease.
Connective tissue disease: Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and mixed connective tissue disease also put you at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Breast cancer treatment: Radiation and chemotherapy treatments used to treat breast cancer may increase the risk of heart disease.
Depression: Women are more likely than men to experience depression, which is known to be associated with heart disease.

Lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease

The good news is that by making modest changes to your diet and lifestyle, you can lower your risk for cardiovascular disease by as much as 80 percent.

Though you can’t control your age or genetic factors, you can control other risk factors to heart disease:

Quitting smoking
Eating a heart-healthy diet
Exercising moderately for 30 minutes most days
Keeping your weight at a healthy level

Nearly everyone will benefit from moving more and sitting less, according to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. When you exercise, the body releases chemicals called endorphins that naturally boost your mood. Exercise also decreases the release of stress hormones. The CDC has found that keeping the heart healthy also keeps the brain healthy, lowering the risk of dementia.

Any amount of physical activity can help decrease cardiovascular disease risk, according to 2018 guidelines from the American College of Cardiology. The recommended amount of activity is 150 minutes of moderate/vigorous intensity activity weekly, along with two days of muscular strength training. Both aerobic and muscle strengthening are beneficial.

Next steps

If you’re at high risk and or haven’t had blood work done in a long time, visit your doctor for a heart checkup. Don’t wait for symptoms — high blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure can lead to heart disease well before they cause any symptoms.