The facts: Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the number one cause of death in women–it kills more women than the next seven causes of death combined, nearly twice as many women every year than all forms of cancer combined. According the American Heart Association, one in 2.5 women will die from cardiovascular diseases–one in 30 will die from breast cancer.

These facts are here to jar you. They are here to warn you that cardiovascular disease is a reality, and a threat to women of all ages, shapes and sizes. As a young woman, the prospect of cardiovascular disease may seem a long way off. You may feel like you are in prime health. You might be too busy to look ahead to possibilities that won’t matter for another ten to 30 years down the line. However, you’re never too young to start seriously thinking about your heart health. In fact, lifestyle-related factors that increase the risk for heart disease are becoming more common among teenagers and young adults like you.

The thing most women don’t realize is that cardiovascular disease is preventable from a young age. Unless you were born with a heart defect, you can help control your fate and do everything possible to ensure that you are not the one in 2.5 women who die from cardiovascular disease. As a group, young women can help to make those statistics less daunting.

Click below to read about related topics.

Introduction
A Healthy Heart
Cardiovascular Disease
Understanding the Risks
Interpreting the Numbers
Steps You Can Take Today
On the Road to a Healthy Heart