Host Amber Smith: Here's some expert advice from Dr. Amy Tucker from Upstate Medical University. How can women reduce their heart disease risk?
Amy Tucker, MD: Studies have shown that if you adopt five heart-healthy habits, you can reduce your risk of heart disease by 80% to 90%. And those things are: eat a healthy diet, exercise, keep a healthy body weight, stop smoking if you smoke, and if you choose to drink, do so in moderation, which for a woman means no more than one alcoholic drink per day.
Amy Tucker, MD: And what we know about those habits is that they stack. Healthy habits add up. They add on one another to reduce risk. So, a Mediterranean diet really impacts your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Amy Tucker, MD: Walking and exercising significantly increases the length of your life and reduces your risk of having a heart attack. And what we also know about the fitness level is that with each increment in your fitness level, you derive extra benefits, but you get a lot of that benefit in the early parts of your fitness. So you don't have to invest a lot to get a lot. Every step counts.
Amy Tucker, MD: When women were studied in terms of the impact of exercise on their heart health, they didn't find a lower limit. So every time you add activity to your day, whether it's 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, you're going to get a benefit.
Amy Tucker, MD: So if you can only do five minutes, you should do it. The more you add, the better off it is. So, that's what I would really encourage women to do, is adopt those healthy habits, lifestyle as medicine. And you can really reduce your risk, by 80 to 90%.
Host Amber Smith: You've been listening to Dr. Amy Tucker from Upstate Medical University.