As part of the Go Red for Women-heart health awareness movement, the American Heart Association has set this Friday as the National Wear Red Day, a day when millions of Americans are invited to wear red to draw attention on the devastating effects of heart disease in women.

 

Monuments, landmarks and major buildings in the United States will also turn red to show support for the fight against heart disease in women and to encourage women to make heart-healthy choices.

 

According to statistics, one out of every three women has some form of heart disease and approximately 460,000 women die each year from some kind of heart disease, making it the largest killer among women. What is surprising is that only one out of five women considers heart disease as their greatest health threat, which means either they lack information on heart disease or they do not take heart disease seriously.

 

Heart disease is the third leading cause of death among women age 25 to 44 and the second leading cause of death among women age 45 to 64, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

“Women are taught to think a lot about the outside of our chest, with respect to breast cancer, but we also need to be thinking about the inside of our chests,” said Elizabeth Cisco, a member of the board of the American Heart Association's Midwest Affiliate.

 

The American Heart Association hopes things will change in the near future and women will learn to make healthy choices for their heart. Eat healthy, exercise regularly and check your blood pressure and cholesterol more often! These are the first steps any woman should take in order to diminish risk of heart disease.

 

For more information, join www.goredforwomen.com.