The Minority Leaders Podcast is a women of color leadership initiative sponsored by Catalyst Global Strategies, LLC, a public affairs firm in Washington, D.C. As #Catalysts4Good we have partnered with the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) chapters of The Links, Incorporated to bring you a special episode of the Minority Leaders in support of the 16th Annual DMV Links Red Dress Weekend!
In this episode, I am joined by Suzanne Walker—President Arlington (VA) Chapter of the Links Incorporated and Dr. Kelly Epps-Anderson, MD, MSHP— a Link member and Director of Interventional Cardiology Clinical Trials at the Inova Schar Heart and Vascular Institute to get to the heart of the matter.
Heart health isn't just a personal concern; it's a community triumph—or tragedy. That's the hard-hitting reality we unpack during this episode. Together, we unravel the startling statistics of cardiovascular disease in Black women and the life-saving measures being implemented through the Red Dress Weekend. This episode is a deep dive into the intersection of race, health, and community, as we shine a spotlight on this silent killer that affects 59% of Black women over 20.
If you're looking to empower yourself and your loved ones with the tools to take charge of your heart health, make sure to catch the 16th Annual DMV Links Red Dress Weekend kickoff event on event on #NationalWearRedDay Friday, February 02, 2024 from 7:00pm-9:00pm ET on Facebook Live, coming to you “Straight From The Heart”, with expert speakers + panelists + curated content on #hearthealth #totalwellness.
Register for the event here.
Please join us on this leadership journey by subscribing, supporting, rating, reviewing and sharing this episode! Also follow us here:
- Instagram: @theminorityleaders and @algene_1913
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/algene-sajery
- Facebook: @theminorityleaders
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Heart disease and stroke are the number one killer
of women and unfortunately,black women are
disproportionately affected.
Among black women over the ageof 20, 59 percent have some form
of cardiovascular disease, andthis is more than any other
demographic group.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I am Aljean Sanjiri, and this is the Minority Leaders
, the podcast that highlightsthe career journeys of women of
color change makers in politics,policymaking and business.
Put on those safety glasses aswe continue to break all of the
glass ceilings.
Today we have a very specialepisode for you.
(00:50):
As you may know, the MinorityLeaders podcast is a women of
color leadership initiativefunded by my firm, catalyst
Global Strategies LLC, and, asCatalysts for Good, we are
dedicated to increasing minoritywomen representation, and so
we're proud to sponsor this 16thannual DNV Links Red Dress
(01:16):
Weekend.
That's the DC, maryland andVirginia chapters of Links
Incorporated.
So we are really excited andapplaud the women of Links
Incorporated for theirleadership in organizing this,
the largest free online hearthealth and wellness event for
(01:36):
black women.
This event reaches over 150,000people globally, and also it
generates funds to makeimpactful monetary donations to
DMV nonprofits in need.
The special episode featuresSuzanne Walker, president of the
(01:58):
Arlington chapter of the LinksIncorporated and a member of the
links, dr Kelly Epps Anderson,interventional cardiologist at
the I Knower Sharr Health andVascular Institute in Virginia,
and so we are all about givingwomen the information and tools
(02:19):
they need to recognize heartdisease and hopefully, hopefully
, we're going to be saving somelives with this episode and
empowering women to live theirbest lives.
That's right.
We're going to give you thetools to live your best lives,
so listen up and let's get intoit.
I am excited to have this veryspecial episode featuring the
(02:44):
DMV Links I am going to betalking about and featuring
their signature event.
It is the 16th annual DMV LinksRed Dress Weekend.
I just want to welcome you,ladies, to the show today and
thank you so much for joining me.
(03:05):
Thank you so much for having us.
I want to start by talking toyou, mrs Walker.
I know that you are thepresident of the Arlington
chapters of the links and thisinitiative, the Red Dress
Weekend, started initially withthe Arlington chapter.
(03:26):
Can you talk a little bit about, first of all, the links
incorporated for those who don'tknow in our audience and
discuss the links, yourorganization and what you all do
within the community?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Certainly.
Thank you so much again forhaving me.
The Links Incorporated is awonderful service organization
of friends who want to give backto the community.
We are 17,000 plus members in299 chapters with more than one
million documented service hoursacross the nation.
(03:59):
We have been leaders inphilanthropy and hands-on
community service.
We have many areas of focus thatwe participate in, mainly to
help the African-Americancommunity and the community at
large to succeed and besuccessful in many areas, and we
call these areas facets, and sothe Red Dress event comes under
(04:24):
our Health and Human ServicesFacet, which was incorporated to
respond to the chronic healthdisparities that persist in
black communities and hasresulted in the decreased life
expectancy of African Americansand other people of African
ancestry.
So this one particular facet,the Health and Human Services
Facet, had a goal to protect andpromote and facilitate programs
(04:48):
that support the maintenance ofgood health and eliminate
chronic health disparities.
So under that realm we came upwith Heart Links, and that's a
sub-program that really focuseson the heart, heart health.
So there's a lot of greatinformation that we plan to
provide during our Red DressWeekend, which is actually was
(05:08):
started by the American RedCross to bring attention to
heart health across the countryand in all communities.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Well, fantastic, and you all started with this
partnership with the Red Crossand the, I believe, the American
Heart Association, and thenlaunched this Red Dress Weekend
and you've been doing it now,for this is the 16th year.
Very exciting.
Can you tell us some of thethings that inspire you to do
(05:34):
this work?
What was the reason you choseto highlight the incidence of
heart disease inAfrican-American women?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, I think, as Dr Epps Anderson will tell you,
heart disease is one of thenumber one killers of
African-American women and weare a women's organization and
we want to make sure that notonly the women in our
organization but all women haveaccess to information that can
help them with their healthgoals to protect and serve their
longevity, especially withheart health.
(06:05):
So we started the Red Dressevent 16 years ago.
It was an in-person event wherewe had people come in and had
panelists and discussions andscreenings and health
information that was provided.
As a matter of fact, many ofour community members learned
that they had significant healthissues by coming to our event
and getting screened to thingsthat they really didn't know.
(06:27):
Because, I believe Dr EppsAnderson will tell you, heart
disease is sometimes a verysilent killer and symptoms may
not be as prevalent.
So we encourage heart healthybehaviors like walking and
obesity prevention,cardiovascular risk reduction
and other programs, and RedDress was a way to combine all
of those resources together tocome up with a program that has
(06:50):
a significant reach.
So while we started out smallin hotel ballrooms and community
events, we've actually started,actually transitioned to a
virtual event which has muchlarger reach.
So this year, our event is avirtual weekend full of great
information.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Fantastic.
That's really exciting to hearand it's wonderful to hear that
this is a whole weekend.
I know that it's going to belive stream and it's one of the
largest live screen free healthevents for the African American
community.
So congratulations on that.
Dr Kelly Epps Anderson, yourcardiologist, you're also a link
(07:29):
and I know that you want toshare some more detailed
information on the incidence ofheart disease in women,
specifically the impact onAfrican American women.
Tell us a little bit about thatand maybe some of the common
myths about women in heartdisease.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Sure.
So this event has always beennear and dear to my heart, just
given my involvement with thelinks incorporated.
I'm a member of the Potomacchapter, the links, and I'm also
currently serving as boardpresident of the American Heart
Association for GreaterWashington region, so it's been
a great partnership.
And heart disease and strokeare the number one killer of
(08:08):
women and unfortunately, blackwomen are disproportionately
affected.
Among black women over the ageof 20, 59% have some form of
cardiovascular disease and thisis more than any other
demographic group, and this isin part due to some of our
(08:28):
cardiovascular risk factors.
There tends to be a greaterclustering of risk factors in
African American women and someof this may be genetic, but also
we know that lifestyle has avery significant role here and
it's so important that AfricanAmerican women know that they
are at greater risk.
And unfortunately, the sort oftrends in terms of awareness
(08:52):
that heart disease is the numberone killer of women and
particularly black women.
It's just under recognized inthe community and black women
have less awareness than whitewomen overall that this is their
major risk factor.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Honestly, I was really surprised when you said
black women over the age of 20,59%.
That seems like a young ageright To think about heart
disease.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhy that is?
It's just such a you know youthink about heart disease, heart
attack, stroke happening tomuch older people.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Right and I think you know that's one of the myths is
that we tend to think thatheart disease is a disease that
primarily impacts the elderlyand, honestly, the prevalence of
heart disease does increasewith age and so it's
understandable that that hasbeen a myth.
But we certainly know that menand women much younger can be
impacted Particularly.
When we think about women, weknow that cardiovascular disease
(09:51):
is an important, an importantrisk for women, particularly at
across the life spectrum ashormones change.
So we know there are certaintimes in a woman's life,
particularly around pregnancy,where we get concerned about
cardiovascular disease.
We know that over a third ofmaternal deaths are due to
(10:11):
cardiovascular disease and blackwomen actually have the highest
rate of maternal mortality.
So that's an important time foryounger women to think about
their risk.
We know that 10 to 20% of womenhave some health issues around
pregnancy, particularly issueslike high blood pressure related
to pregnancy.
Gestational hypertension,preeclampsia and also
(10:35):
gestational diabetes can impactpregnancy and this all increases
the risk of cardiovasculardisease later in life.
But we know, even 10 to 15years after a woman has a
pregnancy which has beenimpacted by gestational
hypertension or preeclampsia,that they're at higher risk for
heart disease, for stroke in the10 to 15 years after.
(10:55):
So these are younger women thatwe're talking about, and so,
across the life spectrum, womenshould be thinking about their
risk, not just once they arepostmenopausal.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Okay, yeah, I mean, I'm about to turn 47.
So I was thinking, wow, I'm soglad we're highlighting this
issue, because I'm gettingtowards that age and now I
realize that it's an issue thatprobably may have been impacting
me all my life, and mygrandmother passed of heart
disease, and so I was thinkingis it hereditary as well?
(11:31):
What are some of the commonindicators?
And you mentioned genetics.
You mentioned yeah, so can youtalk a little bit about that?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Sure.
So I think it's so important toknow family history and I think
that's why we have to really bean advocate for ourselves and
really make sure we're talkingto family members about what
their history is, because we say40 to 60% of cardiovascular
disease has some geneticcomponent to it.
Now, it may be multiple genes,it may not just be one gene
(12:03):
that's passed from one familymember to the other, but the way
that all of these genesinteract with each other, we
know that there is a geneticcomponent.
So knowing your family history,and particularly a family
history of what we callpremature cardiovascular disease
so premature heart disease orcoronary artery disease, is
heart disease that presentsbefore the age of 55 in a man or
(12:26):
before the age of 65 in a woman, we know that that has a
stronger genetic link.
So talking to your grandmotherabout what her history is and
when she developed this, becauseit may have a greater
implication for you.
So genetics is important becausegenetics can impact
cardiovascular risk factors aswell, like hypertension.
We know that that can run infamilies and we know that
(12:50):
African Americans Hypertensionis probably one of our greatest
risk factors, where 58% of womenof African-American women have
some form of hypertension.
We know that's a risk factorfor future cardiac events and
that has a strong geneticcomponent.
But we think inAfrican-Americans that there may
be a particular gene that makesus more sensitive to salt, and
(13:12):
salt in the diet can increaseblood pressure.
So there's genetics in that way.
We know there's geneticcomponent to diabetes and to
obesity as well, and socertainly knowing what that risk
is and the important part isthat genetics although you may
not be able to change yourgenetics, you can modify the
risk factors that contribute toheart disease.
(13:33):
So even if you do have a familyhistory, there's still
something that you can do aboutit, because 80% of
cardiovascular disease ispreventable with lifestyle
modification or lifestyleinterventions.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Okay, so we talked about salt, we talked about you
know being able to mitigate thatwith I heard earlier walking
and things like that.
What are some of the other waysto mitigate heart disease?
If you say you find out thatyou have, you know, grandparents
or parents that have beensubject to it, or have you know
(14:06):
been had premature heart disease, what can we do to prevent
getting heart disease ourselves?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Yes.
So the American HeartAssociation has developed a
prescription for health and it'scalled Life's Simple Seven, and
it's things that we can do onour own to modify risk factors
to help reduce our risk ofcardiovascular disease.
So one is stop smoking.
We know that cardiovasculardisease is greatly impacted by
(14:35):
smoking.
It increases your risk and whenI see young patients who
present with cardiovasculardisease, smoking is probably one
of their greatest risk factors.
So stop smoking.
Eat better.
This is heart-healthy diet,diet high in fruits and
vegetables and proteins and thatare lower in our saturated fats
.
To be active we know that beingsedentary is a risk factor for
(14:58):
cardiovascular disease.
The American Heart Associationrecommends 30 to 45 minutes most
days of the week of regularmoderate intensity exercise for
cardiovascular health.
And it's even more.
It's 60 to 90 minutes most daysof the week for weight loss.
Weight loss is another one ofthose simple seven.
Managing blood pressure so weknow I mentioned 58% of African
(15:21):
American women have hypertension.
Unfortunately, only 20% havewell-controlled blood pressure.
So having the diagnosis ofhypertension, making sure you're
following up with your doctors,but then also making sure
you're on top of that beingwell-controlled, and that is
often with like these lifestyleinterventions that we're talking
about diet modification andexercise and weight loss, also
(15:42):
controlling cholesterol, andthis can be through dietary
intake, it can also be throughexercise.
It may also be throughmedications If your doctor
thinks that you need to be on amedication for cholesterol,
listen.
And then also reducing yourblood sugar.
We know that high blood sugarcan lead to diabetes and that is
one of the greatest riskfactors for cardiovascular
disease, and we often refer toit in the medical community as a
(16:04):
risk, as an equivalent ofcardiovascular disease, because
patients with diabetes are somuch more likely to develop
cardiovascular disease in thefuture.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Well, this is good to know.
I mean, you know, sometimes Ithink that when I walk my son to
school, that's getting someexercise, but it sounds like it
has to be a little bit morerigorous than that and more
regular, right?
Speaker 1 (16:27):
But it is, but it is.
You know, and I think a lot ofpeople don't think of walking as
exercise.
But walking is exercise, it'sgreat exercise, but it may mean
increasing the increasing theintensity a little bit or the
duration, but but walking isgreat exercise, so I encourage
that.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
And then you mentioned, you know, a healthy
diet.
Some people go on diets.
I know for a while there I wasdoing what Ackens or something
and that doesn't sound like adiet.
That would be heart healthy, ifyou will.
I'm curious what you wouldrecommend on that.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Right for diet.
So you know, diets that arelike the Atkins diet or diets
that we think are more ketogenic.
They can lead to weight loss,which we know is good in terms
of reducing the risk ofcardiovascular disease.
But my concern about thosetypes of diets diets that are
higher in fats is that it canreally impact blood cholesterol
(17:20):
levels and so I've seen patientswho have gone on those diets
and lost weight but then anotherrisk factor their cholesterol
is suddenly really poorlycontrolled and that may outweigh
the actual benefit of theweight loss.
So I don't generally thinkthose are the best diets for
heart health.
The best diets we think forheart health can be diet like
the Mediterranean diet you knowis a diet that I frequently
(17:45):
recommend for patients who aretrying to get control of their
cardiac risk factors.
Also more plant-based diets.
So vegetarian diets or vegandiets we know can reduce risk
factors for cardiovasculardisease as well.
But I think overall just ageneral heart healthy diet and
it's not necessarily a dietthat's very restrictive because
(18:08):
those may be hard to maintainlong term, but a diet that
really does become a way of lifefor you and that can be just
thinking about.
How do I increase plants in mydiet?
How do I increase grains in mydiet?
How do I make sure that I havenice, healthy proteins in my
diet?
We know that animal fats cantend to raise cholesterol levels
(18:28):
, but how do we pick those ofthe animal fats that may be
healthier?
And that is a way I think thatwe can really focus on making a
diet a lifestyle, rather thansomething that's very
restrictive and difficult tomaintain long term.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
So if say I have, you know it runs in my family and I
know that I can mitigate someof the impact.
But what about the symptoms?
Like what are some of thesymptoms of heart disease?
Like what should I be lookingout for?
What should the listeners belooking out for?
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Right, and I think that's a great question because
there's a lot of there can bemisconception about what the
symptoms are.
I think we all know of thetypical symptoms, which is the
you know crushing chest painelephant on my chest.
That has been typically whatpatients have thought of as
having symptoms of heart diseaseand that is a symptom.
(19:19):
But we know, in particular forwomen.
It's so important to know thatwomen often present with
symptoms that are less typicaland symptoms that can be more
subtle, and so actually morewomen complain of shortness of
breath rather than chest pain astheir sign of heart disease.
They may complain of feelingfatigued, obnoxious, vomiting,
(19:42):
symptoms that are more subtlethan the crushing chest pain.
And then also, I think pain isa word that oftentimes patients
presenting with heart attackswill say no, it's not pain, I'm
not having any chest pain.
But if you talk to them further, they are having some sensation
in their chest, some discomfort, and they may describe it more
like heartburn and they'rethey're mistaking it for more
(20:03):
gastrointestinal symptoms.
But it's more of a discomfort,many heart attack patients will
say, rather than true painitself.
And I think also signs andsymptoms of stroke are important
we're talking about, aboutcardiovascular disease overall,
which includes not only heartdisease but includes diseases
like stroke.
I think it's important forpatients to recognize quickly
(20:24):
their symptoms of stroke as well, because we know if you present
to the hospital earlier thatthere are interventions that can
happen to earlier you present.
It may not be available to youif you present several hours
into a stroke presentation.
So symptoms of stroke can bethings like weakness on one side
of the body, can be numbness ortingling on one side of the
(20:45):
body, facial droop, confusion ordisorientation, dizziness.
These are all symptoms that youshould take note of urgently
and be evaluated by a healthcareprovider urgently, not go to
sleep, wake up and then go ifthey don't get better.
It's something that, withinminutes to hours, you need to be
(21:05):
assessed by a healthcareprofessional so that you can
have the best treatmentsavailable to you.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Well, that's extremely important and thank
you for that information andsharing that, dr Epps Anderson.
It seems like reallylife-saving information.
So we really appreciate hearingfrom you and we appreciate the
fact that 15 DMV chapters of theLynx Incorporated will be
hosting this event this weekend,for Friday or Friday the 2nd of
(21:35):
February, from 7 pm to 9 pm.
There's a Facebook Live, so wewant everyone to tune in to get
more of this incredibleinformation and thank you, dr
Kelly Epps Anderson and MrsSuzanne Walker from the Lynx.
Any parting words or closingwords or thoughts on this that
(21:58):
we didn't cover in theconversation today?
Speaker 3 (22:01):
This is Suzanne, and one of the things that Dr Epps
mentioned about the symptoms.
A lot of times the informationwill drive you to check things
out that you may not realize,and I'll give you an example.
At one of our Red Dress eventsthere was a screening for high
blood pressure just a bloodpressure screening and there
were women who were healthy.
(22:22):
They thought they were healthy,they thought they were fit, and
they got the screening andrealized, oh, my blood pressure
is really really high.
And they would later go on to adoctor and find out that they
did have some issues withcholesterol or with high blood
pressure and have to get onmedication and then maybe get to
a nutritionist to see how canthey mitigate some of those
(22:43):
symptoms that might cause theseoutcomes.
And so information is power,and that's why we produce this
event every year, and thecollaboration with all of the
DMV chapters helps us get ourreach out there, helps us to get
the word out to a communitythat may not be thinking about
it.
You know, in your everyday lifeyou may not think that you have
(23:04):
an issue with high bloodpressure and this kind of event.
With information like that fromexperts, from people who are in
the field of heart health canshare.
That gets people motivated togo check and to see are they at
risk, is there something thatthey can do to mitigate some of
these outcomes?
And so it's really important toshare the information and to
(23:25):
make sure that everybody listensand participates and asks the
kinds of questions that wouldlead them to go get their health
checked and to make somelifestyle changes that can
impact their longevity.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Well, that's fantastic.
Thank you so much for thisimportant session and I'm going
to be tuning in on Friday atFacebook Live and I look forward
to the speakers and the panelsand the Q&A.
And you know what listeners?
A lot of our listeners are veryyoung because they're looking
for guidance on careers and howto develop their leadership
(23:58):
skills, and so we want to thankyou for sharing this information
.
Now I know, 20 years old, youneed to be at this event on
Friday, okay, as young as 20years old, listening in and
getting that information andshare it with your friends.
We want to make sure to educatewomen young African American
women in the community aboutthis incredible health risk and
(24:21):
what we can do to prevent it andmitigate it, and so thank you,
thank you, suzanne, and thankyou, kelly, for joining us today
, and we appreciate you, thankyou so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
I'm really proud to be here, thank you.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
For more from the minority leaders, find us on
Instagram at theminorityleaders,where we'll continue the
discussion.
Highlight women of color changemakers and keep breaking every
one of those glass ceilings.
I'm your host, Elgin Sadri.
Make sure to subscribe andleave a review.
We'll be back next time withmore inspiring conversations.
Heart disease and stroke are the number one killer
of women and unfortunately,black women are
disproportionately affected.
Among black women over the ageof 20, 59 percent have some form
of cardiovascular disease, andthis is more than any other
demographic group.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I am Aljean Sanjiri, and this is the Minority Leaders
, the podcast that highlightsthe career journeys of women of
color change makers in politics,policymaking and business.
Put on those safety glasses aswe continue to break all of the
glass ceilings.
Today we have a very specialepisode for you.
(00:50):
As you may know, the MinorityLeaders podcast is a women of
color leadership initiativefunded by my firm, catalyst
Global Strategies LLC, and, asCatalysts for Good, we are
dedicated to increasing minoritywomen representation, and so
we're proud to sponsor this 16thannual DNV Links Red Dress
(01:16):
Weekend.
That's the DC, maryland andVirginia chapters of Links
Incorporated.
So we are really excited andapplaud the women of Links
Incorporated for theirleadership in organizing this,
the largest free online hearthealth and wellness event for
(01:36):
black women.
This event reaches over 150,000people globally, and also it
generates funds to makeimpactful monetary donations to
DMV nonprofits in need.
The special episode featuresSuzanne Walker, president of the
(01:58):
Arlington chapter of the LinksIncorporated and a member of the
links, dr Kelly Epps Anderson,interventional cardiologist at
the I Knower Sharr Health andVascular Institute in Virginia,
and so we are all about givingwomen the information and tools
(02:19):
they need to recognize heartdisease and hopefully, hopefully
, we're going to be saving somelives with this episode and
empowering women to live theirbest lives.
That's right.
We're going to give you thetools to live your best lives,
so listen up and let's get intoit.
I am excited to have this veryspecial episode featuring the
(02:44):
DMV Links I am going to betalking about and featuring
their signature event.
It is the 16th annual DMV LinksRed Dress Weekend.
I just want to welcome you,ladies, to the show today and
thank you so much for joining me.
(03:05):
Thank you so much for having us.
I want to start by talking toyou, mrs Walker.
I know that you are thepresident of the Arlington
chapters of the links and thisinitiative, the Red Dress
Weekend, started initially withthe Arlington chapter.
(03:26):
Can you talk a little bit about, first of all, the links
incorporated for those who don'tknow in our audience and
discuss the links, yourorganization and what you all do
within the community?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Certainly.
Thank you so much again forhaving me.
The Links Incorporated is awonderful service organization
of friends who want to give backto the community.
We are 17,000 plus members in299 chapters with more than one
million documented service hoursacross the nation.
(03:59):
We have been leaders inphilanthropy and hands-on
community service.
We have many areas of focus thatwe participate in, mainly to
help the African-Americancommunity and the community at
large to succeed and besuccessful in many areas, and we
call these areas facets, and sothe Red Dress event comes under
(04:24):
our Health and Human ServicesFacet, which was incorporated to
respond to the chronic healthdisparities that persist in
black communities and hasresulted in the decreased life
expectancy of African Americansand other people of African
ancestry.
So this one particular facet,the Health and Human Services
Facet, had a goal to protect andpromote and facilitate programs
(04:48):
that support the maintenance ofgood health and eliminate
chronic health disparities.
So under that realm we came upwith Heart Links, and that's a
sub-program that really focuseson the heart, heart health.
So there's a lot of greatinformation that we plan to
provide during our Red DressWeekend, which is actually was
(05:08):
started by the American RedCross to bring attention to
heart health across the countryand in all communities.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Well, fantastic, and you all started with this
partnership with the Red Crossand the, I believe, the American
Heart Association, and thenlaunched this Red Dress Weekend
and you've been doing it now,for this is the 16th year.
Very exciting.
Can you tell us some of thethings that inspire you to do
(05:34):
this work?
What was the reason you choseto highlight the incidence of
heart disease inAfrican-American women?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, I think, as Dr Epps Anderson will tell you,
heart disease is one of thenumber one killers of
African-American women and weare a women's organization and
we want to make sure that notonly the women in our
organization but all women haveaccess to information that can
help them with their healthgoals to protect and serve their
longevity, especially withheart health.
(06:05):
So we started the Red Dressevent 16 years ago.
It was an in-person event wherewe had people come in and had
panelists and discussions andscreenings and health
information that was provided.
As a matter of fact, many ofour community members learned
that they had significant healthissues by coming to our event
and getting screened to thingsthat they really didn't know.
(06:27):
Because, I believe Dr EppsAnderson will tell you, heart
disease is sometimes a verysilent killer and symptoms may
not be as prevalent.
So we encourage heart healthybehaviors like walking and
obesity prevention,cardiovascular risk reduction
and other programs, and RedDress was a way to combine all
of those resources together tocome up with a program that has
(06:50):
a significant reach.
So while we started out smallin hotel ballrooms and community
events, we've actually started,actually transitioned to a
virtual event which has muchlarger reach.
So this year, our event is avirtual weekend full of great
information.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Fantastic.
That's really exciting to hearand it's wonderful to hear that
this is a whole weekend.
I know that it's going to belive stream and it's one of the
largest live screen free healthevents for the African American
community.
So congratulations on that.
Dr Kelly Epps Anderson, yourcardiologist, you're also a link
(07:29):
and I know that you want toshare some more detailed
information on the incidence ofheart disease in women,
specifically the impact onAfrican American women.
Tell us a little bit about thatand maybe some of the common
myths about women in heartdisease.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Sure.
So this event has always beennear and dear to my heart, just
given my involvement with thelinks incorporated.
I'm a member of the Potomacchapter, the links, and I'm also
currently serving as boardpresident of the American Heart
Association for GreaterWashington region, so it's been
a great partnership.
And heart disease and strokeare the number one killer of
(08:08):
women and unfortunately, blackwomen are disproportionately
affected.
Among black women over the ageof 20, 59% have some form of
cardiovascular disease and thisis more than any other
demographic group, and this isin part due to some of our
(08:28):
cardiovascular risk factors.
There tends to be a greaterclustering of risk factors in
African American women and someof this may be genetic, but also
we know that lifestyle has avery significant role here and
it's so important that AfricanAmerican women know that they
are at greater risk.
And unfortunately, the sort oftrends in terms of awareness
(08:52):
that heart disease is the numberone killer of women and
particularly black women.
It's just under recognized inthe community and black women
have less awareness than whitewomen overall that this is their
major risk factor.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Honestly, I was really surprised when you said
black women over the age of 20,59%.
That seems like a young ageright To think about heart
disease.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhy that is?
It's just such a you know youthink about heart disease, heart
attack, stroke happening tomuch older people.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Right and I think you know that's one of the myths is
that we tend to think thatheart disease is a disease that
primarily impacts the elderlyand, honestly, the prevalence of
heart disease does increasewith age and so it's
understandable that that hasbeen a myth.
But we certainly know that menand women much younger can be
impacted Particularly.
When we think about women, weknow that cardiovascular disease
(09:51):
is an important, an importantrisk for women, particularly at
across the life spectrum ashormones change.
So we know there are certaintimes in a woman's life,
particularly around pregnancy,where we get concerned about
cardiovascular disease.
We know that over a third ofmaternal deaths are due to
(10:11):
cardiovascular disease and blackwomen actually have the highest
rate of maternal mortality.
So that's an important time foryounger women to think about
their risk.
We know that 10 to 20% of womenhave some health issues around
pregnancy, particularly issueslike high blood pressure related
to pregnancy.
Gestational hypertension,preeclampsia and also
(10:35):
gestational diabetes can impactpregnancy and this all increases
the risk of cardiovasculardisease later in life.
But we know, even 10 to 15years after a woman has a
pregnancy which has beenimpacted by gestational
hypertension or preeclampsia,that they're at higher risk for
heart disease, for stroke in the10 to 15 years after.
(10:55):
So these are younger women thatwe're talking about, and so,
across the life spectrum, womenshould be thinking about their
risk, not just once they arepostmenopausal.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Okay, yeah, I mean, I'm about to turn 47.
So I was thinking, wow, I'm soglad we're highlighting this
issue, because I'm gettingtowards that age and now I
realize that it's an issue thatprobably may have been impacting
me all my life, and mygrandmother passed of heart
disease, and so I was thinkingis it hereditary as well?
(11:31):
What are some of the commonindicators?
And you mentioned genetics.
You mentioned yeah, so can youtalk a little bit about that?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Sure.
So I think it's so important toknow family history and I think
that's why we have to really bean advocate for ourselves and
really make sure we're talkingto family members about what
their history is, because we say40 to 60% of cardiovascular
disease has some geneticcomponent to it.
Now, it may be multiple genes,it may not just be one gene
(12:03):
that's passed from one familymember to the other, but the way
that all of these genesinteract with each other, we
know that there is a geneticcomponent.
So knowing your family history,and particularly a family
history of what we callpremature cardiovascular disease
so premature heart disease orcoronary artery disease, is
heart disease that presentsbefore the age of 55 in a man or
(12:26):
before the age of 65 in a woman, we know that that has a
stronger genetic link.
So talking to your grandmotherabout what her history is and
when she developed this, becauseit may have a greater
implication for you.
So genetics is important becausegenetics can impact
cardiovascular risk factors aswell, like hypertension.
We know that that can run infamilies and we know that
(12:50):
African Americans Hypertensionis probably one of our greatest
risk factors, where 58% of womenof African-American women have
some form of hypertension.
We know that's a risk factorfor future cardiac events and
that has a strong geneticcomponent.
But we think inAfrican-Americans that there may
be a particular gene that makesus more sensitive to salt, and
(13:12):
salt in the diet can increaseblood pressure.
So there's genetics in that way.
We know there's geneticcomponent to diabetes and to
obesity as well, and socertainly knowing what that risk
is and the important part isthat genetics although you may
not be able to change yourgenetics, you can modify the
risk factors that contribute toheart disease.
(13:33):
So even if you do have a familyhistory, there's still
something that you can do aboutit, because 80% of
cardiovascular disease ispreventable with lifestyle
modification or lifestyleinterventions.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Okay, so we talked about salt, we talked about you
know being able to mitigate thatwith I heard earlier walking
and things like that.
What are some of the other waysto mitigate heart disease?
If you say you find out thatyou have, you know, grandparents
or parents that have beensubject to it, or have you know
(14:06):
been had premature heart disease, what can we do to prevent
getting heart disease ourselves?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Yes.
So the American HeartAssociation has developed a
prescription for health and it'scalled Life's Simple Seven, and
it's things that we can do onour own to modify risk factors
to help reduce our risk ofcardiovascular disease.
So one is stop smoking.
We know that cardiovasculardisease is greatly impacted by
(14:35):
smoking.
It increases your risk and whenI see young patients who
present with cardiovasculardisease, smoking is probably one
of their greatest risk factors.
So stop smoking.
Eat better.
This is heart-healthy diet,diet high in fruits and
vegetables and proteins and thatare lower in our saturated fats
.
To be active we know that beingsedentary is a risk factor for
(14:58):
cardiovascular disease.
The American Heart Associationrecommends 30 to 45 minutes most
days of the week of regularmoderate intensity exercise for
cardiovascular health.
And it's even more.
It's 60 to 90 minutes most daysof the week for weight loss.
Weight loss is another one ofthose simple seven.
Managing blood pressure so weknow I mentioned 58% of African
(15:21):
American women have hypertension.
Unfortunately, only 20% havewell-controlled blood pressure.
So having the diagnosis ofhypertension, making sure you're
following up with your doctors,but then also making sure
you're on top of that beingwell-controlled, and that is
often with like these lifestyleinterventions that we're talking
about diet modification andexercise and weight loss, also
(15:42):
controlling cholesterol, andthis can be through dietary
intake, it can also be throughexercise.
It may also be throughmedications If your doctor
thinks that you need to be on amedication for cholesterol,
listen.
And then also reducing yourblood sugar.
We know that high blood sugarcan lead to diabetes and that is
one of the greatest riskfactors for cardiovascular
disease, and we often refer toit in the medical community as a
(16:04):
risk, as an equivalent ofcardiovascular disease, because
patients with diabetes are somuch more likely to develop
cardiovascular disease in thefuture.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Well, this is good to know.
I mean, you know, sometimes Ithink that when I walk my son to
school, that's getting someexercise, but it sounds like it
has to be a little bit morerigorous than that and more
regular, right?
Speaker 1 (16:27):
But it is, but it is.
You know, and I think a lot ofpeople don't think of walking as
exercise.
But walking is exercise, it'sgreat exercise, but it may mean
increasing the increasing theintensity a little bit or the
duration, but but walking isgreat exercise, so I encourage
that.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
And then you mentioned, you know, a healthy
diet.
Some people go on diets.
I know for a while there I wasdoing what Ackens or something
and that doesn't sound like adiet.
That would be heart healthy, ifyou will.
I'm curious what you wouldrecommend on that.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Right for diet.
So you know, diets that arelike the Atkins diet or diets
that we think are more ketogenic.
They can lead to weight loss,which we know is good in terms
of reducing the risk ofcardiovascular disease.
But my concern about thosetypes of diets diets that are
higher in fats is that it canreally impact blood cholesterol
(17:20):
levels and so I've seen patientswho have gone on those diets
and lost weight but then anotherrisk factor their cholesterol
is suddenly really poorlycontrolled and that may outweigh
the actual benefit of theweight loss.
So I don't generally thinkthose are the best diets for
heart health.
The best diets we think forheart health can be diet like
the Mediterranean diet you knowis a diet that I frequently
(17:45):
recommend for patients who aretrying to get control of their
cardiac risk factors.
Also more plant-based diets.
So vegetarian diets or vegandiets we know can reduce risk
factors for cardiovasculardisease as well.
But I think overall just ageneral heart healthy diet and
it's not necessarily a dietthat's very restrictive because
(18:08):
those may be hard to maintainlong term, but a diet that
really does become a way of lifefor you and that can be just
thinking about.
How do I increase plants in mydiet?
How do I increase grains in mydiet?
How do I make sure that I havenice, healthy proteins in my
diet?
We know that animal fats cantend to raise cholesterol levels
(18:28):
, but how do we pick those ofthe animal fats that may be
healthier?
And that is a way I think thatwe can really focus on making a
diet a lifestyle, rather thansomething that's very
restrictive and difficult tomaintain long term.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
So if say I have, you know it runs in my family and I
know that I can mitigate someof the impact.
But what about the symptoms?
Like what are some of thesymptoms of heart disease?
Like what should I be lookingout for?
What should the listeners belooking out for?
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Right, and I think that's a great question because
there's a lot of there can bemisconception about what the
symptoms are.
I think we all know of thetypical symptoms, which is the
you know crushing chest painelephant on my chest.
That has been typically whatpatients have thought of as
having symptoms of heart diseaseand that is a symptom.
(19:19):
But we know, in particular forwomen.
It's so important to know thatwomen often present with
symptoms that are less typicaland symptoms that can be more
subtle, and so actually morewomen complain of shortness of
breath rather than chest pain astheir sign of heart disease.
They may complain of feelingfatigued, obnoxious, vomiting,
(19:42):
symptoms that are more subtlethan the crushing chest pain.
And then also, I think pain isa word that oftentimes patients
presenting with heart attackswill say no, it's not pain, I'm
not having any chest pain.
But if you talk to them further, they are having some sensation
in their chest, some discomfort, and they may describe it more
like heartburn and they'rethey're mistaking it for more
(20:03):
gastrointestinal symptoms.
But it's more of a discomfort,many heart attack patients will
say, rather than true painitself.
And I think also signs andsymptoms of stroke are important
we're talking about, aboutcardiovascular disease overall,
which includes not only heartdisease but includes diseases
like stroke.
I think it's important forpatients to recognize quickly
(20:24):
their symptoms of stroke as well, because we know if you present
to the hospital earlier thatthere are interventions that can
happen to earlier you present.
It may not be available to youif you present several hours
into a stroke presentation.
So symptoms of stroke can bethings like weakness on one side
of the body, can be numbness ortingling on one side of the
(20:45):
body, facial droop, confusion ordisorientation, dizziness.
These are all symptoms that youshould take note of urgently
and be evaluated by a healthcareprovider urgently, not go to
sleep, wake up and then go ifthey don't get better.
It's something that, withinminutes to hours, you need to be
(21:05):
assessed by a healthcareprofessional so that you can
have the best treatmentsavailable to you.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Well, that's extremely important and thank
you for that information andsharing that, dr Epps Anderson.
It seems like reallylife-saving information.
So we really appreciate hearingfrom you and we appreciate the
fact that 15 DMV chapters of theLynx Incorporated will be
hosting this event this weekend,for Friday or Friday the 2nd of
(21:35):
February, from 7 pm to 9 pm.
There's a Facebook Live, so wewant everyone to tune in to get
more of this incredibleinformation and thank you, dr
Kelly Epps Anderson and MrsSuzanne Walker from the Lynx.
Any parting words or closingwords or thoughts on this that
(21:58):
we didn't cover in theconversation today?
Speaker 3 (22:01):
This is Suzanne, and one of the things that Dr Epps
mentioned about the symptoms.
A lot of times the informationwill drive you to check things
out that you may not realize,and I'll give you an example.
At one of our Red Dress eventsthere was a screening for high
blood pressure just a bloodpressure screening and there
were women who were healthy.
(22:22):
They thought they were healthy,they thought they were fit, and
they got the screening andrealized, oh, my blood pressure
is really really high.
And they would later go on to adoctor and find out that they
did have some issues withcholesterol or with high blood
pressure and have to get onmedication and then maybe get to
a nutritionist to see how canthey mitigate some of those
(22:43):
symptoms that might cause theseoutcomes.
And so information is power,and that's why we produce this
event every year, and thecollaboration with all of the
DMV chapters helps us get ourreach out there, helps us to get
the word out to a communitythat may not be thinking about
it.
You know, in your everyday lifeyou may not think that you have
(23:04):
an issue with high bloodpressure and this kind of event.
With information like that fromexperts, from people who are in
the field of heart health canshare.
That gets people motivated togo check and to see are they at
risk, is there something thatthey can do to mitigate some of
these outcomes?
And so it's really important toshare the information and to
(23:25):
make sure that everybody listensand participates and asks the
kinds of questions that wouldlead them to go get their health
checked and to make somelifestyle changes that can
impact their longevity.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Well, that's fantastic.
Thank you so much for thisimportant session and I'm going
to be tuning in on Friday atFacebook Live and I look forward
to the speakers and the panelsand the Q&A.
And you know what listeners?
A lot of our listeners are veryyoung because they're looking
for guidance on careers and howto develop their leadership
(23:58):
skills, and so we want to thankyou for sharing this information
.
Now I know, 20 years old, youneed to be at this event on
Friday, okay, as young as 20years old, listening in and
getting that information andshare it with your friends.
We want to make sure to educatewomen young African American
women in the community aboutthis incredible health risk and
(24:21):
what we can do to prevent it andmitigate it, and so thank you,
thank you, suzanne, and thankyou, kelly, for joining us today
, and we appreciate you, thankyou so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
I'm really proud to be here, thank you.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
For more from the minority leaders, find us on
Instagram at theminorityleaders,where we'll continue the
discussion.
Highlight women of color changemakers and keep breaking every
one of those glass ceilings.
I'm your host, Elgin Sadri.
Make sure to subscribe andleave a review.
We'll be back next time withmore inspiring conversations.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.