If you think heart attacks only affect the elderly, think again, as its victims are becoming ever younger. Shockingly, it is young women who are now putting themselves at a higher risk of suffering a heart attack than any other group. Heart disease is almost entirely preventable, yet it’s one of the biggest killers in the UK; women are at greater risk due to lifestyle choices. A detailed study of 70,000 nurses in the US makes uncomfortable reading.
The women in this study were between 27-44 years old when it started. During a 20-year follow-up period, over 450 had heart attacks and an astonishing 32,000 were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease risk factors, including diabetes type 2, high blood pressure and/or high levels of blood cholesterol. The evidence comes as research shows that heart attacks are the UK’s second biggest killer – after dementia – with one in four men and one in six women dying from it.