February Is Heart Health Month
Apple-Shaped Women Four Times More Likely to Have Heart Attacks Than Pear-Shaped Women; Best Defense is a Tape Measure
Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) February 8, 2005
Women who gain weight around their middles are four times more likely to have a heart attack than women who add pounds around their hips, buttocks and thighs, and their best defense is a tape measure, according to Marie Savard, M. D., author of the new book, Apples & Pears: the Body Shape Solution for Weight Loss and Wellness (Atria Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster; January 2005; $24.95).
“Apple-shaped women have more visceral fat, which gathers around the internal organs and is generally more harmful to the body than subcutaneous fat, which appends itself to the buttocks and thighs. Visceral fat creates a physical environment that is primed for heart disease and stroke. The more abdominal fat a woman has – the greater her waist is in proportion to her hips – the more dangerous the situation becomes,” said Dr. Savard.
In Apples & Pears, Dr. Savard stresses that a tape measure is the most powerful tool a woman and her doctor have to identify the woman’s risk of heart disease. According to Dr. Savard, “Figuring out your body shape is easy. Simply use a flexible tape measure to measure around the narrowest part of your waist to determine your waist circumference. Then measure around your hips – about three or four inches below your pelvis bone. Divide your waist circumference by your hip measurement to get your waist-to-hip ratio, or WHR. If your WHR is higher than.80, you are apple-shaped.”
According to Dr. Savard, knowing she is apple-shaped means a woman can take proactive steps in her diet, exercise and other healthcare options to decrease her risk of heart attack. Tips in Apples & Pears include:
• Long-Term Weight-Loss Goal: Lose two inches off your waist.
• Diet Strategy: Eat high complex carbohydrates and limit amounts of fat and protein; avoid all white flour foods.
• Best Diet Supplement: Psyllium fiber.
• Best Exercise: Walk 30 minutes every day to burn apple-zone fat.
• Menopause Guidance: Avoid hormone therapy, if possible.
• Important Medical Tests: Cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose.
Apples & Pears/2
Apples & Pears author Dr. Marie Savard is a nationally-known internist, womenÂ’s health expert and advocate for patientsÂ’ rights. She is the award-winning author of How to Save Your Own Life and the creator of The Savard Health Record. She lives in Philadelphia. Co-author Carol Svec is a seasoned health writer and the author of three books. More information is available at www. applesandpears. org.
###