Most people think of menopause as a hormonal event. Sure, it can have a lot of effects on a woman's body — hot flashes and mood swings are probably what you think of — but it turns out there's a bigger danger lurking behind the scenes: heart problems.
A new study out of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center found that "A woman's cardiovascular risk can rise sharply after she goes through menopause" — so high, in fact, that it's on par with men of a certain age.
It's almost certainly about the estrogen. Lower levels after menopause seem to increase the buildup of coronary artery calcium (CAC), aka plaque. And plaque levels don't just increase — the buildup accelerates, "indicating that many women experience a steep rise in the risk of heart problems."
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