1. Heart Disease Slideshow Pictures
2. Medical Illustrations of the Heart Image Collection
3. Take the Heart Disease Quiz!

In this Article

• One woman's heart attack story
• What is heart disease?
• Do women need to worry about heart disease?
• Do women of color need to worry about heart disease?
• What can I do to prevent heart disease?
• What does high blood pressure have to do with heart disease?
• How can I lower my blood pressure?
• What does high cholesterol have to do with heart disease?
• What do my cholesterol and triglyceride numbers mean?
• How can I lower my cholesterol?
• How do I know if I have heart disease?
• What are the signs and symptoms of a heart attack?
• One of my family members had a heart attack. Does that mean I'll have one too?
• Sometimes my heart beats really fast and other times it feels like my heart skips a beat. Am I having a heart attack?
• Should I take a daily aspirin to prevent heart attack?
• Does taking birth control pills increase my risk for heart disease?
• Does using the birth control patch increase my risk for heart disease?
• Does menopausal hormone therapy (HT, HRT, ET) increase a woman's risk for heart disease?
• For more information on heart disease in women
• Find a local Doctor in your town
• Heart Attack in Women Index

You can lower your cholesterol by taking these steps:

Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight, losing weight can help lower your total cholesterol and LDL ("bad cholesterol") levels. Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) to see if you are at a healthy weight. If not, try making small changes like eating an apple instead of potato chips, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking farther away from the entrance to your office, the grocery store, or the mall. (But be sure to park in a safe, well-lit spot.)

Eat better. Eat foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol.

Eat more:

• Fish, poultry (chicken, turkey--breast meat or drumstick is best), and lean meats (round, sirloin, tenderloin). Broil, bake, roast, or poach foods. Remove the fat and skin before eating.
  
  
• Skim (fat-free) or low-fat (1%) milk and cheeses, and low-fat or nonfat yogurt
  
  
• Fruits and vegetables (try for 5 a day)
  
  
• Cereals, breads, rice, and pasta made from whole grains (such as "whole-wheat" or "whole-grain" bread and pasta, rye bread, brown rice, and oatmeal)

Eat less:

• Organ meats (liver, kidney, brains)
  
  
• Egg yolks
  
  
• Fats (butter, lard) and oils
  
  
• Packaged and processed foods

There are two diets that may help lower your cholesterol:

• Heart Healthy Diet
  
  
• Therapeutic Lifestyles Changes (TLC) Diet

Get moving. Exercise can help lower LDL ("bad cholesterol") and raise HDL ("good cholesterol"). Exercise at a moderate intensity for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes each week, or get 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity each week.

• Take your medicine. If your doctor has prescribed medicine to lower your cholesterol, take it exactly as you have been told to.