Major health risks for women 40

If you hope to avoid the leading causes of death in women after 40 -- such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes -- you'd do well to work on the roots of these problems.

Start with the following behaviors. Each feeds into the leading killers of women in midlife and beyond.

You are what you eat. Unfortunately, many American women do not eat the right things, and their unbalanced diets backfire into obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, anorexia, heart disease, and other health problems. At one extreme, more women than men exclude even nutritious foods in pursuit of a diet that emphasizes one goal (usually calorie restriction or fat restriction). Others go the other way -- ignoring all sense of food planning, which leads them to over-consume processed foods, animal fats, and sugars.

Oops: More than 60 percent of American women are overweight, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. More than one-third is obese.

Positive aspect: The middle ground -- a healthful diet that does not skimp on nutrition or overdo empty calories -- does not require much planning or thinking and helps stabilize a healthy weight. Nutritionists emphasize focusing on a mainly plant-based diet featuring whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, healthy oils, and fish -- what has become known as the "Mediterranean diet." Its anti-inflammatory, high-antioxidant benefits include a 33 percent reduced risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

The average caregiver in the U.S. is a woman in her late 40s. Many are "sandwiches," looking after both children and aging parents. With little time or opportunity for adequate self-care, they're prone to "care giving stress syndrome," a condition linked to a medical chart full of health woes, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, dementia, and back strain. More than 70 percent of family caregivers show signs of depression.

Men care for loved ones, too, of course. However, women tend to have more negative experiences as caregivers than men, who focus more on problem solving and less on emotional nuances, says I-Fen Lin, a sociologist at Bowling Green State University. Wives caring for husbands report the highest stress load, her research shows.

Oops: Caregivers are twice as likely to manage stress by smoking, according to the American Psychological Foundation's 2012 Stress in America report. In addition, they are 25 times more likely to binge drink. Emotional eating is another common coping strategy that backfires on health.

Positive aspect: When stress is managed with good self-care and time off, many caregivers report a deeply enriching experience. Some caregivers even show improved longevity, better memory, and better physical strength, as well as a sense of meaning and purpose, say Boston University researchers.

Women have more trouble falling asleep than men and get less sleep overall, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Women also suffer more insomnia, more restless legs syndrome, and the sleep disruptions due to menopausal changes. Sleep apnea, which is more common in men, begins increasing in women after age 50; by age 65, it affects one in four women.

Those sizes matter: Insufficient sleep doubles the risk of hypertension in women, according to a 2007 University of Warwick study, upping the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. (Men's levels of inflammatory markers did not change with less sleep.)

Oops: Older women with sleep apnea have an 85 percent greater risk of developing dementia, according to a 2011 JAMA report.

Positive aspect: The sweet spot for adding years to your life through sleep is more than 5 hours a night but less than 8.5, according to an analysis of Women's Health Initiative data done at the University of California, San Diego, in 2010.

Although young adult women are most vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), rates are rising in their mothers' generation as midlife women reenter the dating scene after divorce or widowhood. In fact, the most common STD, trichomoniasis, is more common in women in their 40s and 50s than in younger women, a 2011 Johns Hopkins study found. Untreated, trichomoniasis can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease. Rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and herpes are up in 45-plussers, too.

Between 6 and 10 percent of HIV infections are in women over age 50, according to estimates, and the number rises to 28 percent of HIV cases in women over age 65. Normal changes due to aging, such as a thinning of vaginal walls and less lubrication, raise the risk of HIV infection, according to the Center for Age Prevention Studies.

Oops: Many older women do not perceive themselves as vulnerable to sexual infections like HIV -- or even know how to protect themselves, CDC researchers say. They also may mistake symptoms of STDs for normal aging-related changes.

Positive aspect: Barrier-method contraceptives and regular testing dramatically lower the risk of disease for those reentering the sex scene after a long, monogamous, trustworthy relationship.

Women are less likely than men to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, according to a 2012 study in Preventive Medicine. (That's the minimum recommended for most adults.) Yet those who do move their bodies for half an hour a day showed a reduced risk of depression and metabolic syndrome (including high cholesterol and obesity). Exercise at midlife also helps protect against osteoporosis, depression, cancer, and being overweight.

Little wonder health advocates refer to exercise as the "wonder drug" -- one of the best prescriptions for physical and mental health.

Oops: Sitting for long stretches (carpool! commutes! computers!) can erase the benefits of daily exercise, warns the American College of Sports Medicine, raising the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Positive aspect: Keeping moving -- even standing up to stretch while you work -- makes a difference. In the Nurses' Health Study, which followed 70,000 women ages 40 to 65 for eight years, those who just walked briskly several hours per week were one-third less likely to develop heart disease. The most active women in the similarly sized Women's Health Initiative developed heart disease half as often as the least active study members.

Women are at greater risk for developing alcohol-related problems, including breast cancer, heart disease, alcoholism, and alcoholic hepatitis. Because women, on average, weigh less than men, pound for pound they have less water in their bodies than men, and water helps dilute the alcohol. Hormone and aging also affect how they metabolize alcohol. More women than men show alcohol-related problems later in life, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Oops: Older women are less apt to seek help for a drinking problem because of the perceived stigma.

Positive aspect: You do not have to be a teetotaler to have good health. The federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans call for one drink per day for women, compared with two drinks per day for men. In addition, red wine is full of recommended antioxidants.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in middle age. In addition, the longer you puff, the higher your risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, lung disease, and cancer. Women smokers of normal weight who smoked for 10 to 29 years had a 16 percent higher risk of breast cancer than nonsmokers, according to Women's Health Initiative data on more than 76,000 women. Smoking for more than 50 years results in a startling 62 percent increase in death risk.

Oops: Smoking 2 packs a day at midlife doubles the odds you will develop dementia two decades later, found a large Finnish study in 2010, which looked at 50- to 60-year-olds. It echoed earlier research that reached a similar conclusion.

Positive aspect: No matter at what age you quit, your risk of added heart damage is halved after one year. The risks of stroke, lung disease, and cancer also drop immediately.

If you achievement to abstain the arch causes of afterlife in women afterwards 40 -- such as cancer, affection disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes -- you'd do able-bodied to plan on the roots of these problems.
Start with the afterward behaviors. Each feeds into the arch killers of women in midlife and beyond.
You are what you eat. Unfortunately, abounding American women do not eat the appropriate things, and their asymmetric diets backlash into obesity, diabetes, top claret pressure, anorexia, affection disease, and added bloom problems. At one extreme, added woman than men, exclude even alimental foods in following of a diet that emphasizes one ambition (usually calorie brake or fat restriction). Others go the added way -- blank all faculty of aliment planning, which leads them to over-consume candy foods, beastly fats, and sugars.
Oops: Added than 60 percent of American women are overweight, according to the National Center for Bloom Statistics. Added than one-third are obese.
Positive aspect: The boilerplate arena -- a benign diet that does not skimp on diet or amplify abandoned calories -- does not crave abundant planning or cerebration and helps balance an advantageous weight. Nutritionists accent absorption on a mainly plant-based diet featuring accomplished grains, accomplished fruits and vegetables, advantageous oils, and angle -- what has become accepted as the "Mediterranean diet." Its anti-inflammatory, high-antioxidant allowances cover a 33 percent bargain accident of developing metabolic syndrome.
The boilerplate caregiver in the U.S. is a woman in her backward 40s. Abounding are "sandwiches," searching afterwards both accouchement and crumbling parents. With little time or befalling for able self-care, they're decumbent to "care giving accent syndrome," a action affiliated to a medical blueprint abounding of bloom woes, including obesity, diabetes, affection disease, top cholesterol, dementia, and aback strain. Added than 70 percent of ancestor’s caregiver’s appearance signs of depression.
Men affliction for admired ones, too, of course. But women tend to accept added abrogating adventures as caregivers than men, who focus added on analytic and beneath on affecting nuances, says I-Fen Lin, a sociologist at Bowling Green State University. Wives caring for husbands address the accomplished accent load, her assay shows.
Oops: Caregivers are alert as acceptable to administer accent by smoking, according to the American Psychological Foundation's 2012 Accent in America report. In addition, they are 25 times added acceptable to affair drink. Affecting bistro is addition accepted arresting action that backfires on health.
Positive aspect: When accent is managed with acceptable self-care and time off, abounding caregivers address an acutely adorning experience. Some caregivers even appearance bigger longevity, bigger memory, and bigger concrete strength, as able-bodied as a faculty of acceptation and purpose, say Boston University researchers.
Women accept added agitation falling comatose than men and get beneath biddy-bye overall, according to the National Biddy-bye Foundation. Women as well ache added insomnia, added alive legs syndrome, and the biddy-bye disruptions due to menopausal changes. Biddy-bye apnea, which is added accepted in men, begins accretion in women afterwards age 50; by age 65, it affects one in four women.
Those sizes matter: Insufficient biddy-bye doubles the accident of hypertension in women, according to a 2007 University of Warwick study, advancement the accident of affection disease, diabetes, and obesity. (Men's levels of anarchic markers did not change with beneath sleep.)
Oops: Beforehand women with biddy-bye apnea accept an 85 percent greater accident of developing dementia, according to a 2011 JAMA report.
Silver lining: The candied atom for abacus years to your activity through biddy-bye is added than 5 hours a night but beneath than 8.5, according to an assay of Women's Bloom Initiative abstracts done at the University of California, San Diego, in 2010.
Although adolescent developed women are a lot of accessible to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), ante is ascent in their mothers' bearing as midlife women reenter the dating arena afterwards annulment or widowhood. In fact, the a lot of accepted STD, trichomoniasis, is added accepted in women in their 40s and 50s than in adolescent women, a 2011 Johns Hopkins abstraction found. Untreated, trichomoniasis can advance to pelvic anarchic disease. Ante of syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and canker are up in 45-plussers, too.
Between 6 and 10 percent of HIV, infections are in women over age 50, according to estimates, and the amount rises to 28 percent of HIV cases in women over age 65. Accustomed changes due to aging, such as an abrasion of vaginal walls and beneath lubrication, accession the accident of HIV infection, according to the Center for Age Prevention Studies.
Oops: Abounding beforehand women don't apperceive themselves as accessible to animal infections like HIV -- or even apperceive how to assure themselves, CDC advisers say. They as well may aberration affection of STDs for accustomed aging-related changes.
Positive aspect: Barrier-method contraceptives and approved testing badly lower the accident of ache for those reentering the sex arena afterwards a long, monogamous, accurate relationship.
Women are beneath acceptable than men to get at atomic 30 account of abstinent exercise a day, according to a 2012 abstraction in Preventive Medicine. (That's the minimum recommended for many adults.) Yet those who do move their bodies for bisected an hour a day showed a bargain accident of abasement and metabolic affection (including top cholesterol and obesity). Exercise at midlife as well helps assure adjoin osteoporosis, depression, cancer, and getting overweight.
Little admiration bloom advocates accredit to exercise as the "wonder drug" -- one of the best prescriptions for concrete and brainy health.
Oops: Sitting for continued stretches (carpool! commutes! computers!) can abolish the allowances of circadian exercise, warns the American College of Sports Medicine, adopting the accident of diabetes and affection disease.
Positive aspect: Keeping affective -- even continuing up to amplitude while you plan -- makes a difference. In the Nurses' Bloom Study, which followed 70,000 women ages 40 to 65 for eight years, those who just absolved agilely several hours per anniversary were one-third beneath acceptable to advance affection disease. The lot of alive women in the analogously sized Women's Bloom Initiative developed affection ache bisected as generally as the atomic alive abstraction members.
Women are at greater accident for developing alcohol-related problems, including breast cancer, affection disease, alcoholism, and alcoholic hepatitis. Because women, on average, counterbalance beneath than men, batter for batter they accept beneath baptize in their bodies than men, and baptize helps adulterate the alcohol. Hormone and crumbling as well affect how they metabolize alcohol. Added women than men appearance alcohol-related problems afterwards in life, according to the National Institute on Booze Abuse and Alcoholism.
Oops: Beforehand women are beneath apt to seek advice for a bubbler botheration because of the perceived stigma.
Positive aspect: You do not accept to be a teetotaler to accept acceptable health. The federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans alarm for one booze per day for women, compared with two drinks per day for men. In addition, red wine is abounding of recommended antioxidants.
Smoking is the arch could cause of preventable afterlife in boilerplate age. In addition, the best you puff, the college your accident of affection disease, Alzheimer's disease, lung disease, and cancer. Women smokers of accustomed weight who smoked for 10 to 29 years had a 16 percent college accident of breast blight than nonsmokers, according to Women's Bloom Initiative abstracts on added than 76,000 women. Smoker for added than 50 years after-effects in an amazing 62 percent access in afterlife risk.
Oops: Smoker two packs a day at midlife doubles the allowance you'll advance dementia two decades later, begin a ample Finnish abstraction in 2010, which looked at 50- to 60-year-olds. It echoed beforehand assay that accomplished an agnate conclusion.
Positive aspect: No amount at what age you quit, your accident of added affection accident is bisected afterwards one year. The risks of stroke, lung disease, and blight as well bead immediately.