Threat of heart disease expected to rise sharply in key demographic groups

A new report from the American Heart Association (AHA) includes some worrying predictions for the future of women’s health.

The forecast, published Wednesday in the journal Circulation, projects increases in various comorbidities in American women by 2050.

More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.

The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% today.

As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and stroke is expected to increase from 10.7% to 14.4%.

Not all of the trends were negative, as the prevalence of unhealthy cholesterol is expected to fall to around 22% from more than 42% currently, according to the report.

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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “discordant findings.”

“The fact that, on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic diseases are projected to skyrocket in women within a generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told News Digital.

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“Hypertension, diabetes and obesity are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we’re already seeing what drives those risks. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”

Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “silently” and can come “out of nowhere in devastating ways.”

The AHA released another study Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that deaths from heart attacks are increasing among adults under age 55.

The most alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.

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“All of this is especially tragic since heart disease is almost completely preventable,” he said. “The sooner you start, the better.”

Children may show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed by lifestyle changes if “carried out early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.

Klodas suggested that the increase in heart disease is associated with traditional risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure, during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that typically do not contribute to complications until after menopause.

The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.

• If you smoke or vape, stop.
• Move more.
• Take care of your mental health and your sleep.
• Eat better.

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Klodas especially emphasized improving diet, since the foods people eat affect “all of the risk factors highlighted in the AHA report.”

“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and excess weight are conditions that are caused in part or entirely by food,” he said. “We eat several times a day, which means that what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”

“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, if sustained, can have a huge positive impact on health.”

The doctor also recommends swapping out a few snacks a day for healthier options, which has been shown to “produce drug-level cholesterol reductions” within a month.

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“Continue with that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.

“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destiny. We just have to use it.”