Heart Disease Risk Soars for Women with Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits

We've long known that certain lifestyle choices can wreak havoc on heart health, but a new study doubles down on how women might bear the brunt of those risks. Researchers at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto have flagged eight habits—diet, sleep, physical activity, smoking, BMI, blood glucose, lipids, and blood pressure—that appear to impact women’s heart health twice as much as men’s.

The findings, set to be unveiled at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in Chicago later this week, are backed by data from over 175,000 Canadian adults who participated in the Ontario Health Study between 2009 and 2017. These participants were tracked for 11 years, revealing some eyebrow-raising insights into heart disease outcomes, such as heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular-related deaths.

Interestingly, women in the study were more likely than men to have ideal health (9.1% versus 4.8%) and less likely to fall into the poor health category (21.9% versus 30.5%). Yet, when women’s health took a nosedive, the repercussions were striking. Women with poor health had nearly five times the risk of heart disease compared to those in ideal health. For men, the difference was less dramatic—2.5 times the risk.

Dr. Maneesh Sud, the study’s lead author, summed it up: "For the same level of health, our study shows that the increase in risk [related to each factor] is higher in women than in men—it’s not one-size-fits-all." In other words, women’s bodies seem to respond to these risk factors with a louder alarm bell.

Why the disparity? Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical professor at NYU Langone Health, suggested hormonal milestones unique to women—like pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause—could be key culprits. Estrogen, which has cardio-protective properties, takes a nosedive during menopause, just as cholesterol levels and weight tend to climb. It’s the perfect storm for heart health struggles.

Dr. Bradley Serwer, a Maryland-based cardiologist, chimed in to commend the study for challenging old assumptions about cardiovascular risks being uniform across genders. "For years, we’ve falsely assumed that traditional cardiovascular risk factors affected populations similarly," he said. "This study highlights the need for sex-specific screening and prevention strategies."

While the study offers groundbreaking insights, experts caution that more research is needed to untangle the web of factors at play. Is it all about estrogen, or are there hidden contributors? Either way, it’s a wake-up call for women—and perhaps, a reminder to ditch that stress-eating habit once and for all.