What is a healthy weight for you? Currently, there is no exact answer.
Researchers are trying to develop better ways to measure healthy weight.
In the meantime, here are some guidelines to follow. Check the "What
Should You Weight?" table to find out if your weight is within the range
suggested for your height. (Ranges are given because women of the same
height may have equal amounts of body fat but different amounts of
muscle and bone, which affects weight.) Weights above the suggested
ranges are thought to be unhealthy for most people.
Research also suggests that body shape as well as weight affects heart health. "Apple-shaped" individuals with extra fat at the waistline may have a higher risk than "pear-shaped" people with heavy hips and thighs. If your waist is larger than the size of your hips, you may have a higher risk for coronary heart disease.
Diabetes
Diabetes, or high blood sugar, is a serious disorder that raises the
risk of coronary heart disease. More than 80 percent of people who have
diabetes die of some type of cardiovascular disease, usually heart
attack. The risk of death from coronary heart disease is doubled in
women with diabetes. Compared with nondiabetic women, diabetic women are
also more apt to suffer from high blood pressure and high blood
cholesterol. Besides helping to cause coronary heart disease, untreated
diabetes can contribute to the development of kidney disease, blindness,
problems in pregnancy and childbirth, nerve and blood vessel damage, and
difficulties in fighting infection.
Diabetes is often called a "woman's disease" because after age 45, about
twice as many women as men develop diabetes. The type of diabetes that
develops in adulthood is usually "noninsulin-dependent diabetes
mellitus," or NIDDM. This type of diabetes, in which the pancreas makes
insulin but the body is unable to use it well, is the most common form
of the disease. For unknown reasons, the risks of heart disease and
heart-related death are higher for diabetic women than for diabetic men.
While there is no cure for diabetes, there are steps one can take to
control it. Eighty-five percent of all NIDDM diabetics are at least 20
percent overweight. It appears that overweight and growing older promote
the development of diabetes in certain people. Losing excess weight and
boosting physical activity may help postpone or prevent the disease. For
lasting weight loss, get regular, brisk exercise and eat a diet that is
limited in calories and fat, especially saturated fat.
Stress
In recent years, we have read and heard much about the connection
between stress and coronary heart disease. In particular, we have heard
that "type A" behavior--aggressiveness, a need to compete, a constant
concern about time--is linked to the development of heart disease. Some
studies have shown such a relationship in men. But recent research on
type A behavior in women shows no link between this kind of behavior and
coronary heart disease.
Another factor that has often been connected to women's heart disease is
employment outside the home. The "price of liberation" for working
women, according to many media reports, is a high level of stress
leading to soaring rates of coronary heart disease. But research from
the Framingham Heart Study shows no difference in rates of coronary
heart disease between housewives and employed women.
But it is too early to rule out stress as a risk factor for women.
Certainly, some common ways of coping with stress, such as overeating
and heavy drinking, are bad for your heart. On the other hand,
stress-relieving activities such as exercise can lower your risk of
heart disease. Researchers will need to study larger groups of women
over time to find out whether certain behaviors, personality types, or
stressful situations are linked to the development of coronary heart
disease in women.
Birth Control Pills
Studies show that women who use high-dose birth control pills (oral
contraceptives) are more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke
because blood clots are more likely to form in the blood vessels. These
risks are lessened once the birth control pill is stopped. Using birth
control pills also may worsen the effects of other risk factors, such as
smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, and
overweight.
Much of this information comes from studies of birth control pills
containing higher doses of hormones than those commonly used today.
Still, the risks of using low-dose birth control pills are not fully
known. Therefore, if you are now taking any kind of birth control pill
or are considering using one, keep these guidelines in mind:
Smoking and "the pill" don't mix. If you smoke cigarettes, stop smoking
or choose a different form of birth control. Cigarette smoking boosts
the risks of serious cardiovascular problems from birth control pill
use, especially the risk of blood clots. This risk increases with age
and with the amount smoked. For women over 35, the risk is particularly
high. Women who use oral contraceptives should not smoke.
Pay attention to diabetes. Glucose metabolism, or blood sugar, sometimes
changes dramatically in women who take birth control pills. Any woman
who is diabetic, or has a close relative who is, should have regular
blood sugar tests if she takes birth control pills.
Talk with your doctor. If you have a heart defect, if you have suffered
a stroke, or if you have any other kind of cardiovascular disease, oral
contraceptives may not be a safe choice. Be sure your doctor knows about
your condition before prescribing birth control pills for you.