Women, the same as men, take the risk to get heart diseases and heart attacks. Heart disease is the main reason of death among women over 65. In fact, it is 6 times more likely for american women to die of heart disease or heart attack than of breast cancer. Heart diseases kill more women over 65 than all cancers united. Women are gaining heart problems later in life than men -- normally 7 or 8 years later. Nevertheless, by about the age of 65, a woman is risking almost like a man.

As a rule, women are more likely to die of heart attacks than men. The reasons are unknown. Probably women do not resort and receive treatment as soon as men. Another version is that women have smaller hearts and blood vessels that are more easily damaged. Doctors all over the world are seeking answers to these questions. They have no doubt, however, that it is much easier and better to prevent heart problems before they start.

For women, the largest factors that provoke heart disease are smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, family history and age. Do not ignore this, take some time to reconsider your lifestyle, study family history and the general state of your health. Having this information, you and your doctor can assess and reduce the risk and make a plan to escape potential problems. But you can't bother much about your age or your family history. The change of your lifestyle is a great step that will help to avoid a lot of the other risk factors.

To protect yourself, a woman should keep to some rules. First of all, don’t smoke. Smoking is a main risk factor for heart disease in women. It is the reason of more than half of all heart attacks of women under 50. If a woman smokes and uses birth control pills, her risk increases even more. Breathing smoke is also dangerous for your heart and lungs. Living with someone who smokes, try to persuade him or her to quit.

Control your blood pressure. Losing weight, eating healthy food or keeping to a diet, exercising regularly are the ways to help cope with high blood pressure. Reduce the amount of salt you consume every day. It can also help. If these steps do not lower your blood pressure, consult your doctor. He may recommend you some medicine to take.

Don’t forget, your heart is a muscle. You need to exercise regularly to keep it in shape. Aerobic exercise gives your heart the best training. You should exercise not less than 30 to 60 minutes, 4 times a week.