More incentive to work on heart health

While the jury is out about the role of hrt and heart disease, the evidence continues to mount that low estrogen increases the risk of coronary artery disease and that post-menopausal women need to do what they can to improve their risk factors.

This study published this week looked at premenopausal women with low levels of estrogen. They were clearly more at riskfor clogging of the heart arteries than women with higher levels of estrogen. What the cause and effect are though isn't known.

Relatively young women are more than twice as likely to die from a heart attack as relatively young men, and the current findings suggest that low estrogen may hinder a woman's recovery from the heart attack, Dr. Noel Bairey Merz said.

And here's a really interesting thing. Many of the women with low levels and at risk were also taking antidepressants. They speculated that perhaps stress lowered the levels of estrogen. In this study, all of the women with low levels of body estrogen had problems with their hypothalamus (which also relates to neurotransmitters/depression).

"Animal models suggest that estrogen buffers damage from traditional risk factors--cholesterol, cigarettes, high blood pressure--so its absence results in loss of this protection," the lead researcher said in the Reuter's summary of the research.

The researchers recommended that, if you know your estrogen is low, you concentrate on the things you can control--cutting smoking, eating healthy, getting regular exercise, and reducing stress.

SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2003;41:413-419.

Thanks, Trish, for again looking out for us. I am totally confused about this HRT/Evista/heart connection. Was the HERS study halted early because of the increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or breast cancer? Estrogen and Evista can lead to blood clots which can lead to strokes. Yet, that one study said that Evista
caused a decrease in strokes of high risk women and no
increase of strokes in the total population. Estrogen can cause
blood clots which can lead to strokes, and yet it might keep
the arteries clear of plaque and keep them flexible? I really
don't know what to think. Maybe someday all these little bits
and pieces of the puzzle will all fit together and make sense.
Maybe you are way ahead of me, and you understand this connection. Thanks for helping us!!!!