Men on average lead more active lifestyles than women, that places women at greater risk for being overweight. As many as six out of ten women have sedentary lifestyles. This higher rate of overweight and obesity places women at greater risk of heart disease. However, most women are completely unaware of the danger. Though there is heightened awareness of the danger of breast or cervical cancer among the female population, few women realize the danger heart disease poses.
Heart disease is the number one killer for women in the U.S. and the leading cause for disability.
Table 2 shows that rates of heart disease are slightly higher for women than men. However, the onset of heart disease is typically ten years later in women than in men. Estrogen plays a key role in the later onset of the disease. However, after menopause, women lose this advantage unless they receive estrogen therapy. Though rates of heart disease in women under age fifty are considerably lower than those of men, after age 65, mortality from heart disease is 11 percent higher for women.