Diet and Exercise Are Potent Modulators of Cardiovascular Disease in Women

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of women in developed countries and its incidence is increasing in women in developing nations (Gholizadeh and Davidson, Health Care Women Int 29:3–22, 2008; Mosca et al., Circulation 123:1243–1262, 2011). Many factors influence a woman’s likelihood of developing CVD throughout her lifetime. These include intrinsic variables such as genetic background, hormonal status, and age as well as extrinsic variables such as smoking, diet, and level of physical activity. While the potential for intervention regarding the intrinsic factors can be limited and challenging, women can have a lot of control over the extrinsic factors, which may ultimately influence cardiovascular health more powerfully than pharmacologic interventions and can potentially counteract genetic predisposition (Stampfer et al., N Engl J Med 343:16–22, 2000).