9 ...Keys For Women To Survive... And Thrive After A Heart Attack

Nearly 3 million women in this country have survived a heart attack, only to find their lives will never be the same.

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Unless they make changes that will alter the natural course of their heart disease, more than 25% of them will die within a year.

A major study found that 96% of heart attack risk in women can be attributed to nine modifiable risk factors: Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, waist-to-hip ratio, diet, physical activity level, alcohol use, psychosocial factors and plasma apolipoproteins (a type of fat in the blood). Almost half of women have three or more of these risk factors before their heart attack.

If you have had a heart attack, you should be motivated to make some changes that could prevent another event. We list nine things you can do to help you survive – and thrive – after your heart attack.

1 Stop Smoking

You’ve heard it before, but if you like to smoke, you ignored the message. Smoking is the single most important preventable cause of heart attack in women. Get help to quit – it will increase your chances of success. As soon as you quit smoking, your risk of heart attack will start to drop. Within 10 to 15 years, it will equal that of a nonsmoker.

2 Choose Foods Wisely