“Heart disease is the number one killer globally, and 80 to 90% is preventable.” - Michelle Routhenstein

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death for women but it's surprisingly easy to overlook in everyday practice. It develops quietly over years. Blood pressure creeps up, cholesterol patterns change, PCOS, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation continue to influence vascular health long after the original diagnosis. By the time symptoms become clear, the disease process has often been underway for decades.

The encouraging part is that so many of these risk factors are things we're already talking about with our clients, like nutrition, movement, blood sugar regulation, and gut health. Supporting cardiovascular health doesn't require a completely different approach. It means recognizing when those everyday interventions can also protect the heart and knowing which early risk factors deserve a closer look before they become much bigger problems.

In today’s episode, I'm joined by Michelle Routhenstein, preventive cardiology dietitian and founder of Entirely Nourished, to talk about why cardiovascular prevention belongs in every women's health practice. Michelle shares the early warning signs she wants every practitioner to recognize, nutrition strategies that support vascular health, the importance of nitric oxide and gut health, why soft plaque deserves more attention, the simple changes practitioners can make to help women reduce their cardiovascular risk, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

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Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/midlife-womens-heart-health-how-pregnancy-complications-pcos-and-slight-increases-in-blood-pressure-increase-womens-cardiovascular-risk/.

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