Wednesday, February 9, 2011

New Study Shows Importance of Doing Research on Women

A study published this week is hailed as good news for women, because it found that a certain kind of implantable pacemaker/defibrillator works a lot better in women than it does in men. This indeed was good news for women, but it was also valuable for men as well, because researchers can now use this information to improve on the device for men.

This study held a double meaning for me, because it yet again pointed out the importance of including women in medical studies. When I first began writing about heart disease in women, this was a very hot-button topic. It literally took a Congress to force researchers to include women routinely in their studies. This lack of research on women is also one key reason why heart disease was considered a "man's disease" for decades. Most of the studies had been done on men, and it was this research that made its way into the medical canon.

Obviously, the more research that is done including women, the more is learned. Such information is not only important for women, but for men as well. Researchers surmised that the reason the device may work better for women is that our hearts are smaller, so this may be very valuable for improving the devices for use on males.

Hey, I'm off to lecture on heart health in women at the US Army War College in Carlisle, PA for Valentine's Day, and I'll you all about that incredible experience when I return. In the meantime, if you'd like me to come to your business or organization to talk about ideas on women's health and fitness, just shoot me an email at char@libov.com.

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