Women And
Cholesterol
As a rule, women have higher HDL cholesterol levels than men do. The
female sex hormone estrogen tends to raise HDL cholesterol, which
may help explain why premenopausal women are usually protected from
developing heart disease. Estrogen production is highest during the
childbearing years. Women also tend to have higher triglyceride levels.
Triglyceride levels range from about 50 to 250 mg/dL, depending on
age and sex. As people get older, more overweight or both, their triglyceride
and cholesterol levels tend to rise.
Postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT) may benefit some
women with osteoporosis or other medical conditions associated with
menopause. Women with a personal or family history of breast cancer
or other endocrine-related cancers should not receive PHT. The HERS
trial in women who had previously had a heart attack showed that
these women did not benefit from PHT. Recent clinical trials appear
to confirm that PHT does not appear to reduce risk of cardiovascular
disease and stroke in postmenopausal women.
The American Heart Association recommends statins
as the first line of drug therapy for women with heart disease.
This should be combined with a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol
diet, weight management and regular exercise. Statin drugs are very
effective for lowering LDL cholesterol levels and have few immediate
short-term side effects. They work by interrupting the formation
of cholesterol from the circulating blood.
CONTENT SOURCE: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=185
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