Check your blood pressure. Two thirds of women over age 65 have high blood pressure, a contributing factor. Limit salt intake and take hypertensive medication if your doctor feels it's necessary. Reduce fat in your diet. But, cholesterol is less of a factor in women than it is for men.
Overweight women face a considerably higher risk than overweight men.
Lose weight sensibly. Physical exercise may cut your risk by half. Women who smoke are three times more likely to die of coronary heart disease and five times more likely to die of a stroke than non-smoking women of the same age. Quitting can increase your life expectancy to between 10 and 15 years of someone who has never smoked. Reduce stress in your life.