Women Face Higher Heart Disease Risks Due to Lifestyle Factors, New Study Finds

A groundbreaking study has revealed that certain lifestyle and health factors have a significantly greater impact on heart disease risk for women compared to men. The research, conducted by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, found that eight key risk factors—including diet, sleep, physical activity, smoking, body mass index (BMI), blood glucose, lipids, and blood pressure—affect women’s heart health at nearly twice the rate seen in men.

A Closer Look at the Study

The findings, set to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in Chicago, analysed data from over 175,000 Canadian adults without existing heart conditions. Researchers tracked participants’ health over an 11-year period, focusing on major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and cardiovascular-related deaths.

Women with poor health were found to have nearly five times the risk of heart disease compared to women with ideal health. In contrast, men with poor health had a 2.5 times higher risk compared to their healthier counterparts. Even those with intermediate health faced a notable disparity—women with moderate health risks had 2.3 times the likelihood of developing heart disease compared to those with ideal health, while men in the same category had 1.6 times the risk.

Lead author Dr. Maneesh Sud, an interventional cardiologist and clinician scientist at Sunnybrook, highlighted the significance of these findings.

“For the same level of health, our study shows that the increase in risk is higher in women than in men—it’s not one-size-fits-all.”

Why Are Women More Affected?

Experts suggest that biological and hormonal differences may explain why women face higher heart disease risks from the same lifestyle factors. Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health, emphasized that women experience unique life stages—including pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause—that influence heart health.

“Estrogen has cardio-protective properties, but it declines sharply after menopause,” Siegel noted. “At the same time, cholesterol levels rise, as may body weight, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

While women in the study generally had better overall health than men—with healthier diets and lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels—those with moderate or poor health saw a much greater increase in heart disease risk than their male counterparts.

A Need for Gender-Specific Approaches to Prevention

The study underscores the importance of tailoring heart disease prevention strategies to address the unique risks faced by women. “For many years, we have falsely assumed that traditional cardiovascular risk factors affected populations similarly,” said Dr. Bradley Serwer, chief medical officer at VitalSolution.

Medical experts are now calling for sex-specific screening and risk assessment methods to ensure that women receive more accurate predictions of their cardiovascular risks. More research is needed to determine whether these disparities are solely due to estrogen’s protective effects or if additional, unrecognized factors are at play.

What This Means for Women’s Health

The findings highlight the critical need for greater awareness and action when it comes to women’s heart health. Women are often underdiagnosed and undertreated for cardiovascular disease, in part because it has historically been studied primarily in men. By recognising the unique ways in which lifestyle factors impact female heart health, healthcare providers can offer more effective prevention strategies tailored to women’s needs.

At The Female Body, we advocate for a research-driven approach to women’s healthcare, pushing for more inclusive studies, better screening tools, and improved education on gender-specific health risks. This study reinforces the necessity of personalised medicine that accounts for the differences between male and female health outcomes.

Taking Action

Women can take steps to reduce their heart disease risk by prioritising regular screenings, maintaining a heart-healthy diet, exercising consistently, and managing stress. With better awareness and targeted healthcare interventions, the future of women’s heart health can be significantly improved.