Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinas : A 5-Week Program for Living a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle

by Mieres, Jennifer H., M.D., FACC, FAHA; Parnell, Terri Ann , RN, M.A.; Turkington, Carol

• ISBN13: 9780312372675
• ISBN10: 0312372671
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-02-05
• Publisher: Griffin

Summary

'ÄúA terrific, potentially life-saving book that'Äôs a must read for all black and Latina women. 'Äù --Jane Chesnutt, Editor-in-Chief, Woman'Äôs Day This book is an important wake-up call for black women and Latinas to understand that small steps can make a difference in preventing heart disease. ¬'  Read this book for yourself and your sisters, but also for your families' good health. " - Nancy Loving,¬' Heart disease survivor and Co-Founder, WomenHeart'Äú This book is a must have guide which covers all aspects of diet and lifestyle as well advice on how to partner with your doctor for a heart healthy life. 'Äù -- Rita F. Redberg, MD, MSc. , FACC. Director, Women's Cardiovascular Services, UCSF School of Medicine. 'ÄúThis book is filled with sound nutrition, fitness and stress management advice (the cornerstone of all heart-healthy lifestyle plans) and offers myriad practical solutions for the prevention of heart disease. Heart Smart should be on every black and Latina woman's nightstand! " -- Janet Bond Brill, PhD., R.D., Author of Cholesterol DOWN: 10 Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in 4 Weeks-Without Prescription Drugs This groundbreaking book is the first to take into consideration the heart health of women of color and provide an action plan to overcome the unique cultural and genetic challenges they face in staying heart healthy. ¬'  It doesn'Äôt merely present generic information on diet, exercise and eliminating stress, but highlights the importance of community, culture, and lifestyle. This complete five week program includes:Ways to eat a heart healthy diet by learning what to eat and how much as well as how to modify traditional recipes so they still taste the same. An easy-to-follow exercise program that uses walking to benefit health and well-being with suggestions for where to walk if the neighborhood is unsafe, and ways to get the whole family involved Information on how women can work with their doctor to get the most out of their health JENNIFER H MIERES, M.D.,F.A.C.C, F.A.H.A,¬'  is a cardiologist at NYU School of Medicine, whose clinical research focuses on Heart disease in Women . She was an Emmy nominee in 2003 for her production of the PBS documentary 'ÄúA Woman'Äôs Heart'Äù. TERRI ANN PARNELL, R.N, M.A., An award-winning cardiovascular nurse, is widely published in the medical literature on areas focused on patient education and heart disease.

Author Biography

Jennifer H. Mieres, M.D., F.A.H.A., is a cardiologist at NYU School of Medicine whose clinical research focuses on heart disease in women Terri Ann Parnell, R.N., M.A., an award-winning cardiovascular nurse, is widely published in the medical literature focused on patient education and heart disease

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Foreword	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The Double Whammy: The High Risk of Heart Disease for Women in General and Black Women and Latinas in Particular
Heart Disease: Women's Heart Disease Is Different from Men's	p. 9
Assessing Your Risk	p. 15
Don't Be a Statistic: It's Never Too Late to Get on the Road to Heart Health	p. 35
Listen to Your Body	p. 43
Three Small Steps to Heart-Healthy Living in 5 Weeks
Week One: Get Ready by "Setting the Table" for the Rest of Your Life!	p. 53
Week Two: Step 1: Get Moving!	p. 73
Week Three: Step 2: Simple Steps to Healthier Eating	p. 87
Week Four: Step 3: Stress Less and Enjoy	p. 111
Week Five: FEAST: Putting It All Together for the Rest of Your Life!	p. 143
Preventing Heart Disease for a Lifetime
The Power of Partnering with Your Doctor	p. 155
Appendices
Resources for Heart-Smart Recipes	p. 169
Helpful Health-Care Facts	p. 173
Common Heart Medications, Treatment, and Tests	p. 181
Questions and Answers About Heart Disease	p. 187
Women's Heart Centers	p. 195
Glossary	p. 220
Suggested Reading	p. 227
Index	p. 231
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinas

Part 1

The Double Whammy: The High Risk of Heart Disease for Women in general and Black women and Latinas in Particular

1

Heart Disease: Women's Heart Disease Is Different from Men's

The lifestyle of most Americans promotes heart disease, and we are a population of "heart attacks waiting to happen." Consider the facts: Cardiovascular disease (which includes heart disease and stroke) is the leading cause of death of American women. In 2004, more than 460,000 women died from cardiovascular disease, compared to 410,000 men. Although most of us fear breast cancer, thanks to the amount of press given this subject, the truth is that women are far more likely to die of heart disease.

Here is a quick look at the numbers: One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime and one in twenty-six will die of it, but one in three women will die of cardiovascular disease. In fact, a fifty-year-old woman faces a 46percent risk of developing heart disease and a 31 percent risk of dying from it. Of all the cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack, and stroke are the number one and three killers of American women.

In this book we focus on reducing your risk of heart disease. By following the steps we outline you will also reduce your risk of a stroke, since many of the same factors that place you at risk for heart disease also increase your chances of having a stroke.

Heart disease and its debilitating effects can be prevented by first recognizing that you are at risk, knowing the signs and the factors that predispose you to heart disease, and then taking simple steps to live a heart-healthy lifestyle.

The Causes of Heart Disease in Women

When it comes to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease, men have traditionally received more attention than women. However, women are at equal risk for heart disease and heart attacks. Although women typically develop heart problems about seven to ten years later in life than men, by about age sixty-five, a woman's risk of heart disease is almost the same as a man's. Blockage of the coronary arteries that supply blood and nutrients to the heart is the leading cause of coronary artery disease and heart attacks in men and women. Certain factors can increase your risk of heart disease. The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of having a heart attack or stroke. Inaddition, certain risk factors tend to speed the development of atherosclerosis--the narrowing of arteries due to the buildup of fatty substances. That's why it is important that you identify and eliminate or modify any risk factors you have. Risk factor modification with lifestyle changes as well as taking medication, if needed, can slow the progression of atherosclerosis and help prevent a heart attack.

Although men and women share similar factors that increase their risk of heart disease, such as smoking, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, high cholesterol, and family history of heart disease, certain factors play a bigger role in the development of heart disease and heart attacks in women. Overall, compared to men, many more women are obese, have a sedentary lifestyle, or have hypertension and diabetes. These particular risk factors play a much more important role in leading to heart disease and heart attacks in women than they do for men.

Why Women of Black and Latino Heritage Have Different Risk Factors From Caucasian Women

The fact that African-American and Hispanic women have as much as a 69 percent higher risk of heart disease than Caucasian women is due in part to their higher incidence of risk factors, including high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. (Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors, including abdominalfat, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance or glucose intolerance.) Yet the results of a recent survey indicate that among Black women and Latinas, there is less awareness that being overweight, smoking, physical inactivity, high cholesterol, and a family history of heart disease increase their heart disease risk.

Poor control of cardiovascular risk factors may also account for part of the difference. A recent study published by the American Heart Association found that Black women had higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol than white women. About 56 percent of the Black women in the study had adequate blood pressure control, versus 63 percent of the white women. Furthermore, Black women, despite their higher risk of heart disease, were 10 percent less likely to receive aspirin (to lower the risk of a blood clot, which can block an artery) and 27 percent less likely to receive cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins. The results of this study should drive home the fact that women need to be more aware of heart disease risk factors and how to control them. As women, we need to stop underestimating our risk of heart disease.

Color Matters: Why Black Women and Latinas Are at High Risk

Kathleen, a forty-five-year-old African-American woman was referred to me for a stress test because she recently experienced shortness of breath when climbing stairs. At herrecent checkup, she was told she was about thirty-five pounds overweight, her blood sugar was elevated, and she was diabetic and needed to start taking medications to control her blood sugar levels. The nurse-practitioner discussed the importance of taking her medications and starting a weight-control program to prevent the horrible complications of diabetes, which include heart disease. This visit was an eye-opener for Kathleen because her father had his first heart attack when he was fifty, and her older brother, who is also diabetic, had heart surgery at age fifty-five. This family history made her determined to change her diet and lifestyle so that she would be around to see her children graduate from high school.

Kathleen and her husband both worked long hours, Kathleen as a legal secretary and he as an elementary school teacher. She reflected on their lifestyle and realized that they were both overweight, he had hypertension, and their diet and family history placed them both at risk for heart disease.

Like Kathleen, most women never dream that they are at risk for heart disease, nor do they have any idea that simply being a woman of color places them at particularly high risk. In fact, one out of every two women of color in the United States will die of heart disease.

Like so many women who experience the early signs of a heart attack or heart disease, Kathleen thought that she was just getting older and her shortness of breath was most likely due to her weight and age. As it turned out, Kathleen's stress test did not show any signs of lack of bloodsupply to the heart muscle with exercise, but it revealed that her blood pressure was very high during exercise, placing her at risk for heart disease and stroke. Her elevated blood pressure was the cause of her shortness of breath when walking or climbing stairs.

In addition to taking medications for diabetes, Kathleen was started on medication to reduce her blood pressure. She learned that controlling her weight and changing her diet were very important in reducing her risk for heart disease and stroke. Her nurse-practitioner explained the importance of understanding the signs and symptoms of heart disease as well as knowing and controlling her risk for heart disease. Kathleen also learned that by changing her lifestyle, her risk factors for heart disease could be controlled and a heart attack could be prevented. She left the office that day promising herself to change her eating habits as well as lose weight because she did not want to follow in her father's or brother's footsteps.

HEART SMART FOR BLACK WOMEN AND LATINAS. Copyright © 2008 by Jennifer H. Mieres and Terri Ann Parnell. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.