Women and men alike can reduce their chances of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease by addressing their risk factors head on.

LWA/STEPHEN WELSTEAD/CORBIS
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STOP SMOKING
Smoking more than triples a woman's chances of having a heart attack. If you quit, that risk is cut in half within two years; after 10 years, the odds return to nearly normal.
FROM THE APRIL 28, 2003 ISSUE OF TIME MAGAZINE; POSTED SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 2003

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