Statistics released on Tuesday, in a Reuters report, show 483,800 American women died from heart disease and stroke in 2003.
"That's more lives than were claimed by the next five leading causes of death combined: cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes and accidents," notes the Association.
The Association also notes that six million women have coronary heart disease and 3.1 million have had strokes.
Dr. Frank Hu, an associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston says that women also fail to realize the importance of exercise and weight loss.
"A high level of physical activity did not eliminate the risk of coronary heart disease associated with obesity and leanness did not counteract the increased coronary heart disease risk associated with inactivity."
