When it comes to heart disease, knowledge is not only powerful, it can also be life-saving. Test your understanding of heart disease by answering these six true/false questions and then checking the answers below.
- A woman is more likely to survive the first year after a heart attack than a man.
- Taking an aspirin during a heart attack can limit the damage done.
- Heart disease kills more women than breast cancer.
- Your heart stops beating when a heart attack strikes.
- The best way to prevent a heart attack is to stop smoking.
- Adding more fiber to your diet is good for your heart.
- False. About 42 percent of women who have a heart attack die within one year, compared to only 24 percent of men.
- True. Chewing a 325-mg dose of aspirin helps prevent blood clots, which can block your arteries.
- True. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States. One in three women die of heart disease, while one in 31 die of breast cancer.
- False. During a heart attack, the heart is almost always still beating, but the blood supply to the heart is blocked. As a result, it doesn’t get enough oxygen, which can injure the heart. When your heart suddenly stops beating, it's called "cardiac arrest."
- True. In fact, quitting smoking can lower your heart rate and your blood pressure almost immediately. Women who smoke are at risk of having a heart attack 19 years earlier than women who don’t smoke.
- True. LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, can lead to a dangerous buildup of cholesterol in the arteries. Fiber from whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans lowers your LDL.
Sources: Promedica, WebMD, Women’s Heart Foundation, Harvard Health Publishing