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The Numbers To Protect Women's Hearts

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Nov 2, 2009 9:57 am US/Mountain

The Numbers To Protect Women's Hearts

Reporting
Dr. Dave Hnida
DENVER (CBS4) ― Recent studies show more middle-aged women are suffering heart attacks and strokes, yet most women don't know what puts them at risk for heart disease.

"A lot depends on family history and personal history," said Dr. Hnida, "but these are very important numbers."

Blood pressure tops the list. "We used to use 140 over 90 as a cutoff but we now know lower is better," Dr. Hnida said. "And if you are on the birth control pill, knowing your blood pressure is extremely important."

Next LDL or bad cholesterol. "It's not just total cholesterol, you need to break it down for the bad and good," said Dr. Hnida. "That means the LDL should be no higher than 130 with 100 as the real goal. For the HDL or good cholesterol, the number should be 50. HDL travels through the blood stream preventing hardening of the arteries."

Also check fasting-blood sugar levels, it should be no higher than 100.

And waist size is also a risk factor, a woman's waist size should be 35 inches or less.

If the numbers don't add up, the first thing to do is talk to the doctor about lifestyle changes and then move to more aggressive treatments if necessary.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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