Daily HealthBeat Tip - June 28, 2007

Lifestyle and a woman’s heart

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

There may be an alternative to hormone therapy to control cholesterol levels after women reach menopause, when their heart attack risk rises.

Kelley Pettee, currently of Arizona State University, says it’s the same thing that reduces risk of such conditions as diabetes – a healthy lifestyle.

In her investigation, women who went off hormone therapy – but who had a healthy diet, were physically active, and reduced weight – had a small increase in cholesterol. Similar women who did not do those things had a bigger increase. So Pettee says:

``Postmenopausal women should try to incorporate healthy lifestyle practices into their everyday life. The benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle are not limited to heart disease.’’ (9 seconds)

Her study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

Last revised: June, 28 2007