The Racial Factor

African-American women are at higher risk for dying of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than women in any other racial group, according to a 200-page study produced by West Virginia University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, the study shows that African-American women die of CVD at an alarming rate of 553 deaths per 100,000 women per year versus 388 deaths per 100,000 white women per year. Overall, CVD causes 401 deaths per 100,000 women of all ethnic backgrounds in America over age 35 each year.

Other studies show that Mexican-American women are hospitalized more often for heart attacks than non-Hispanic white women.

Researchers from the CDC believe that a combination of genetics, smoking habits, ethnic diets (which may be high in saturated fat), and other social or cultural traditions could contribute to a higher number of CVD-related deaths in African-American and Mexican-American women.

Reference:
"Women and Heart Disease: An Atlas of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mortality," National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Information, CDC, Oct. 15, 2002.