Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
New Guidelines on Heart Diseases in Women
Aired February 05, 2004 - 06:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In health news this morning, heart disease is the leading killer of women in the United States, but there are some new guidelines out now on how to prevent it.
Joining us live from New York is our favorite dietitian, Lisa Drayer.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
And prevention is key. And yesterday the American Heart Association did release new guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention in women. They included some of the guidelines that we're familiar with already, such as quitting smoking, eating a heart healthy diet, getting 30 minutes of exercise each day and maintaining a healthy body weight.
But there were additional recommendations for women at high risk for disease, that is, women whose chance of getting a heart attack in the next 10 years is greater than 20 percent.
And those included omega-3 fatty acid supplements -- those are the fats that we find in fatty fish like salmon; folic acid supplements -- this is a B vitamin that can help lower levels of an amino acid that's associated with increased risk; and also some medications like statins -- this is a cholesterol lowering drug -- were recommended for women at high risk even if their LDL, their bad cholesterol, is already at a good level.
COSTELLO: And there are things you can eat, too, to prevent heart disease.
DRAYER: Absolutely. And that was definitely one of the guidelines. That is a heart healthy diet. That includes a diet that's low in saturated fat, high in fruits and vegetables and whole grains. These contained fiber, which can help reduce risk; also, low amounts, as I mentioned, saturated fat, very strict here for women at high risk. You really want to get the saturated fat low, found in high fat dairy, butter. Also, fatty fish, soy and nuts are protective of the heart. And trans fats -- remember we talked about those -- you want to limit those as much as possible. They're now just as dangerous as saturated fats. And if you do enjoy alcoholic beverages, go for the red wine.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
DRAYER: Because that contains a heart protective chemical found in the skin of the red grapes.
COSTELLO: I like that one the best, a little glass of cabernet, ooh.
DRAYER: Me, too.
COSTELLO: It sounds good right now, actually.
Thank you, Lisa.
DRAYER: Well...
COSTELLO: I know.
Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 5, 2004 - 06:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In health news this morning, heart disease is the leading killer of women in the United States, but there are some new guidelines out now on how to prevent it.
Joining us live from New York is our favorite dietitian, Lisa Drayer.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
And prevention is key. And yesterday the American Heart Association did release new guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention in women. They included some of the guidelines that we're familiar with already, such as quitting smoking, eating a heart healthy diet, getting 30 minutes of exercise each day and maintaining a healthy body weight.
But there were additional recommendations for women at high risk for disease, that is, women whose chance of getting a heart attack in the next 10 years is greater than 20 percent.
And those included omega-3 fatty acid supplements -- those are the fats that we find in fatty fish like salmon; folic acid supplements -- this is a B vitamin that can help lower levels of an amino acid that's associated with increased risk; and also some medications like statins -- this is a cholesterol lowering drug -- were recommended for women at high risk even if their LDL, their bad cholesterol, is already at a good level.
COSTELLO: And there are things you can eat, too, to prevent heart disease.
DRAYER: Absolutely. And that was definitely one of the guidelines. That is a heart healthy diet. That includes a diet that's low in saturated fat, high in fruits and vegetables and whole grains. These contained fiber, which can help reduce risk; also, low amounts, as I mentioned, saturated fat, very strict here for women at high risk. You really want to get the saturated fat low, found in high fat dairy, butter. Also, fatty fish, soy and nuts are protective of the heart. And trans fats -- remember we talked about those -- you want to limit those as much as possible. They're now just as dangerous as saturated fats. And if you do enjoy alcoholic beverages, go for the red wine.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
DRAYER: Because that contains a heart protective chemical found in the skin of the red grapes.
COSTELLO: I like that one the best, a little glass of cabernet, ooh.
DRAYER: Me, too.
COSTELLO: It sounds good right now, actually.
Thank you, Lisa.
DRAYER: Well...
COSTELLO: I know.
Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
