A sure way to die before old age

Rebecca Smith, The Daily Telegraph, 13.05.2008
Translation: Gazeta

Women have a significantly increased risk of heart disease if they drink alcohol, smoke and overeat. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the universities of Oxford and Liverpool. According to research results, mortality from heart attacks and coronary artery blockages has been falling in recent decades in all age and gender groups, with the exception of women under the age of 50.

Scientists have found that mortality from cardiac diseases steadily increased in all groups throughout the 20th century and reached its peak in the 1970s. Since then, there has been a relatively constant decline in this level. Realizing the danger of smoking, many people were able to get rid of this habit. In addition, the level of diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases has increased, and treatment methods have become faster and more effective.

Nevertheless, the mortality rate among women under 50 has rather increased. Experts attribute this to an increase in the number of obese people who do not exercise, but especially with the fact that the number of women who smoke and drink a lot of alcohol has increased.

An additional risk factor is that women often do not realize the danger to their own health and turn to doctors when a neglected heart disease is much more difficult to treat.

According to the director of the Weight Concern Medical Center, Dr. Ian Campbell, if patients monitored their weight, the risk of heart disease could be prevented by one-fifth. "All these scientific findings are alarming, but not at all surprising. It is middle–aged women who face complex risks of heart disease," he explains. – As a rule, they have been sedentary for more than 20 years, are obese and continue to smoke. In general, it is an unhealthy lifestyle that leads to diseases."

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13.05.2008