You Can Preserve Heart Health with PCOS!

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. What’s worse, if you have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, you are 4 to 7 times more likely to have a heart attack than those without PCOS! Can you reverse and even prevent having a heart attack? The answer is yes, with positive actions and lifelong habits that will keep you healthy.

One of the most important ways to prevent heart disease is to get moving. Exercise lowers inflammation, helps you lose weight and also reduces the feeling of stress. Studies have found that exercise does not have to be done all at one time to be beneficial. The key is to have the regular exercise and do so in a manner that makes you feel good. This could be aerobic, such as tennis or it could be weight lifting or house cleaning. You can even vary the exercise week by week and keep it fun and interesting!

Controlling blood pressure is another important issue for many women. Women with PCOS are prone to high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor in having a heart attack if not controlled. Have your doctor check your blood pressure with each visit and also make sure that their recommendations are followed.

An often overlooked way to control your risk of a heart attack is as simple as staying calm. You can lower stress in many ways, you just need to find what works for you. Maybe it’s a walk in a garden, writing in a journal, or listening to music that you like. Whatever it is, try to end each day with a calming activity. When feeling nervous, practice thinking calming thoughts and reducing stress.
Your diet is also a contributing factor of heart disease. In Freedom from PCOS, I show research that identifies women with PCOS as having high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. High cholesterol levels can contribute to heart disease, so it’s best to keep them under control. Eating good fats (nuts, seeds, salmon, olive oil) will help raise your HDL cholesterol, thereby lowering the LDL levels.

Reading food labels is important to overall health and especially to preventing heart disease. Choose foods that are low in sodium and cholesterol. It is important to eat whole grains as they may help prevent heart disease. Keeping salt or sodium content within a normal range of about 2,000 mg a day will help a great deal to prevent heart and stroke problems.

Overall, there is no reason not to take simple steps to maintain your heart and general health. Some of these recommendations are simple to incorporate into your daily living and most can become a habit very easily. Remember, no one else cares as much about your body as you should. It is the only one you have and it’s your decisions now that will influence your quality of life for the future.