National Wear Red Day may only come once a year, but Star Jones, a TV personality, attorney, and national volunteer for the American Heart Association, said she works all year round to educate women on their risks for heart disease.

"A lot of people still think of [heart disease] as an old white dude disease," Jones said, but it's the "number one killer of all women, number one killer of black people, number one killer of all Americans," she said. "I'm three for three and I want people to understand what their risks are."

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists heart disease as the "leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States."

Ten years ago, Jones had open heart surgery, the "full-blown open heart surgery where they take your heart out of your body and do surgery on it," she notes. Initially, she had attributed symptoms like fatigue, intense heart palpitations, and lightheadedness when standing to being overweight. Now she knows these are warnings for heart disease for women.

She said her previous lifestyle "should have screamed heart disease," but she did not recognize the symptoms. Particularly now, she said, when demographic groups like millennials operate on "lack of sleep and addition of stress," they are adding to their cardiovascular risk. Jones said people need to know their personal health numbers like blood sugar and BMI, stop smoking, eat less, and move more.

Share:
More In Culture
Animal Care Shelters Reaching Capacity
Animal care shelters in New York City are reaching capacity. Cheddar News spoke to the director of Animal Care Centers of NYC, the largest in the city, who said it's been the worst she's seen in years. The shelter said it's seen a 20% spike in animals.
Top Summer Camp Tips for Parents
With summer officially here, parents are looking for seasonal camps for their children to keep them busy and experience the great outdoors. Cheddar News spoke with two mothers about the best way to prepare as kids set off for camp and activities.
Chef John Fraser Giving Back to Restaurant Workers Through New Initiative
Chef John Fraser, who owns restaurants in New York, California and Florida, is giving back to restaurant workers with a new initiative called "The Industry Table," which provides hospitality employees the chance to eat at restaurants at cost. Chef Fraser explained the program to Cheddar News.
Load More