Women and Heart Health

Heart health is important for everyone! When caring for your heart, the best thing to do is form healthy habits, give your body the nutrients it needs, avoid harmful activities and substances, and provide your heart with the support and protection it deserves.

1. Keep Active

Regular exercise is the best way to keep your heart pumping in time. At least 150 minutes of cardio per week, which can look like 30 minutes of exercise five days a week, is recommended for heart health. This exercise can take many forms: brisk walking or jogging outside, running on a treadmill, or even doing jump ropes or jumping jacks! Giving your heart a healthy workout is a great way to maintain cardiovascular health.

2. Give Your Body the Nutrients it Needs

A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is a solid foundation for heart health. Soluble fiber, found in foods like beans, apples, and oats, can reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed into your bloodstream and helps to excrete excess from the body.[1]

Additionally, research suggests eating 2 servings of fatty fish weekly to get heart-healthy Omega-3 Fatty Acids EPA and DHA. Fatty fish includes salmon, trout, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines![2] If you want to supplement your diet with heart-healthy Omega-3s, Nature Made® offers a variety of Omega-3 Supplements derived from wild-caught ocean fish and purified to remove mercury and other contaminants.▴†

3. Read the Nutrition Facts

Pay attention to what’s in the food you eat! Watch out for and try to limit foods high in saturated and trans fats, which are often found in foods that have been processed or fried. Processed foods can also contain extra sodium and added sugars, so be sure to check the Nutrition Facts label so you know what you're putting in your body![2]

4. Don't Smoke

One of the best things anyone can do for their heart is to quit smoking. Women who smoke have a 25% higher risk of developing a cardiovascular heart condition than men with the same level of smoke exposure.[3] Studies show that women quit smoking at a rate much lower than men, but that doesn't have to be the case.[4] If you want to quit smoking, the CDC has a list of helpful resources to start your journey.

5. Heart Health Supplements†

One important thing to consider regarding heart health is your cholesterol levels. If you want to reduce LDL ("bad cholesterol"), consider plant sterols and stanols, compounds similar to cholesterol found in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and legumes.[5] Nature Made® Cholestoff Plus® is made with Reducol®, a proprietary blend of plant sterols and stanols (also called phytosterols), which help lower LDL by blocking the body's absorption of dietary cholesterol.‡ Nature Made^® Omega-3^†† From Fish Oil Softgels provide 720 mg of Omega-3^†† Fatty Acids EPA and DHA in only one daily softgel to help support a healthy heart, brain and eyes. For additional support, our CoQ10 Softgels support heart function and cellular energy production in organs with high energy needs such as the heart.†

6. Consider an Antioxidant

You may also consider other supplements as well, like Zinc, a mineral which provides support to antioxidants. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals in the body and protect cells from oxidative stress. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and an essential nutrient for many cells, including heart muscle cells. Nature Made® also offers Vitamin C supplements, an antioxidant that supports the immune system and helps neutralize free radicals in the body.†

7. Get a Check-Up

The best person to help take care of your heart is your doctor! It's essential to get your heart checked regularly; speak to your primary care provider about what tests to get and how often, depending on factors like age, risk factors, and other health conditions.

The Bottom Line

It’s important for women to take care of their hearts, so make sure you give your heart the support it needs! These simple heart health strategies can help support your heart.

▴Purified to remove PCBs, dioxins and furans, and mercury to ensure levels below 0.09 ppm, 2 ppt WHO TEQs, and 0.1 ppm respectively.

‡ Products containing at least 400 mg per serving of plant sterols and Stanols, eaten twice a day with meals for a daily intake of at least 800 mg as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. One serving of NM CholestOff Complete/Plus supplies 900 mg of plant sterols and stanols for a daily intake of 1800 mg.

††As ethyl esters

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Reference

1. Harvard University. 5 foods to eat to help your heart. 2020. Accessed on: July 6, 2023. https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/5-foods-to-eat-to-help-your-heart
2. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Heart-healthy eating. 2019. Accessed on: July 10, 2023. https://www.womenshealth.gov/healthy-eating/how-eat-health/heart-healthy-eating
3. Gallucci G, Tartarone A, Lerose R, Lalinga AV, Capobianco AM. Cardiovascular risk of smoking and benefits of smoking cessation. J Thorac Dis. 2020;12(7):3866-3876. doi:10.21037/jtd.2020.02.47 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7399440/
4. Jha P, Ramasundarahettige C, Landsman V, et al. 21st-century hazards of smoking and benefits of cessation in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2013;368(4):341-350. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1211128
5. Trautwein EA, Vermeer MA, Hiemstra H, Ras RT. LDL-Cholesterol Lowering of Plant Sterols and Stanols-Which Factors Influence Their Efficacy?. Nutrients. 2018;10(9):1262. Published 2018 Sep 7. doi:10.3390/nu10091262