There are some health concerns and conditions that can become more likely as women age. Life stages and changes in hormones can affect various parts of the body, however, there are plenty of lifestyle tweaks that women can make to help promote healthy ageing.
Find out what conditions can become more common in later life and arm yourself with the knowledge of how to keep yourself well, now and in the future.
1) High cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of blood fat which is made in the liver and is found in some foods. We all need some cholesterol in our bodies just to keep us ticking over but having too much can clog up your arteries and lead to health problems.1
Eating too much fatty food, lack of exercise, being overweight, as well as smoking or drinking, can all cause high cholesterol. Another cause of high cholesterol is familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).
About one in 250 people has FH which is an inherited condition that means their cholesterol levels are higher than normal from birth. It’s caused by an abnormal gene and, despite it putting people at high risk of early heart disease, most of them don’t even know they have it.2
>Read more about what cholesterol is and how you can help reduce it
Cholesterol levels are also likely to increase with age and, for women, during and after the menopause a woman's risk of high cholesterol goes up.3 This is due to the drop of oestrogen levels when menopause occurs, as oestrogen has protective effects on the heart and can help keep blood vessels and arteries healthy.4
Lifestyle tweaks
With high cholesterol increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, you can help keep levels in-check by:
- aiming for regular weekly exercise,
- avoiding fatty and processed foods,
- not smoking,
- and having a healthy and balanced diet full of fruit and vegetables.
>Explore our diet and nutrition hub for some balanced and healthy diet inspiration.