ANNOUNCER:
That’s why Doctor Goldberg recommends the following steps to reduce your risk:
-work with your doctor to establish an exercise program.
-eat a heart healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables that’s low in saturated fats.
-if you smoke – quit!
-and talk to your doctor about heart disease.
ANNOUNCER: You should also be aware of the risk factors you can’t change – like family history.
NIECA GOLDBERG, MD, AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION SPOKESPERSON:
Particularly a woman's parents, whether it's the father or mother, if they were young, when they had their first symptoms of heart disease, that increases that woman's risk by 25 to 50%.
ANNOUNCER:
Debra doesn’t want other women to be taken by surprise like she was.
DEBRA, HEART DISEASE SURVIVOR:
I want you to know your family history. I want you to know your cholesterol levels. I want you to know if you have diabetes. I want you to be proactive. You do it for a mammography, you do it for a Pap test, do it for your heart.
ANNOUNCER:
Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily.
