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Heart disease is now the third leading cause of death among women ages 20 to 44.
Women with obesity and a diet rich in salt have a higher cardiovascular risk than men, according to a study carried out by researchers at Augusta University (United States) and presented at the 'American Physiological Society Annual Meeting'. at Experimental Biology 2021'.
The sex hormone estrogen, which has some protective powers, such as keeping blood vessels more flexible, is considered a natural protection for premenopausal women, however, along with rising rates of severe obesity in young women, heart disease is now the third leading cause of death among the female population between 20 and 44 years old.
In this sense, researchers have warned that obesity and high salt consumption are even greater risks for women because they have naturally higher levels of two additional hormones, leptin and aldosterone, which potentially set the stage for cardiovascular disparities. mortals.
"Many of us probably think of leptin as the 'satiety hormone' that sends our brain signals to stop eating when our stomach is full, but in obesity, the brain typically fails to hear the full message, but the women's cardiovascular system begins to receive unhealthy signals," the experts have detailed.
And they have shown that in women leptin causes the adrenal glands, which produce aldosterone, to produce even more of this powerful blood vessel constrictor. Like leptin, women, regardless of their weight, already have naturally higher levels of aldosterone and also larger adrenal glands.
Obesity actually produces greater increases in blood pressure in women, and studies indicate that women are also more prone to obesity-associated vascular dysfunction, things like stiffer blood vessels that aren't as adept at dilation. On the other hand, leptin increases the production of the vasodilator nitric oxide, which reduces blood pressure, in male mice, one of the many cardiovascular differences being found between males and females.
Because women already produce more aldosterone, and the body's normal response to eating a lot of salt is to produce even more aldosterone to help eliminate some of it, experts now propose that women may have an impaired ability to reduce aldosterone, which makes them more sensitive to salt.
