Answer: False. Heart disease is the major cause of death for women in Canada with 8 times more women dying from heart disease than breast cancer alone.
Myth: Heart disease mainly affects men.
Answer: False. Women are 16 % more likely than men to die after a heart attack.
Women with diabetes have a much higher risk of heart disease than men with diabetes.
Women’s risk of heart disease also increases by 4 times after menopause.
Myth: Exercise and heart disease are not related.
Answer: False. Physical inactivity doubles women’s risk of developing and dying from heart disease and stroke.
Myth: Smoking doesn’t affect my risks of heart disease.
Answer: False. Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than women who do not smoke.
Myth: Heart disease is genetic and therefore difficult to prevent.
Answer: False. The majority of heart disease cases can be prevented by developing a healthy lifestyle.
