Active lifestyle deters heart disease among women later in life

A new study spanning 20 years has found that women who practice a healthy lifestyle from young are 92 % less likely to have heart disease later in life.

Researchers at the Indiana University School of Public Health in Bloomington tracked thousands of women in their 20s and 30s and found that women who practiced a healthy diet and exercise regimen while avoiding smoking were less likely to suffer from “heart risk factors” such as diabetes and hypertension when they reached middle age.

In contrast, 456 women who practiced less healthy habits had heart attacks later in life and 32, 000 were diagnosed with illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels.

“As somebody who is currently in her 30s, I think a lot of us think that we are invincible at this point and we don’t have to worry about things like heart attacks until we get old,” Andrea Chomistek, who led the study, said.

Category: Top Story, Wellness and Complementary Therapies