The "top eight" threats to women's health, according to MayoClinic.com, are: Heart disease Cancer Stroke COPD Alzheimer's disease Diabetes Accidents Pneumonia and influenza

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Women: reduce your risk of heart disease

Women's online resources

Heart disease claims more women's lives than all forms of cancer combined. But according to the American Heart Association, only 13 percent of women know that heart disease is a major threat to their health.


Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in American women; 90 percent of these deaths are linked to cigarette smoking, according to the American Lung Association. Breast cancer is second on the list, followed by colorectal cancer.


Of the 163,000 people in the United States who die of stroke every year, two-thirds are women, according to the American Heart Association. Stroke is not only the third-leading cause of death in women, it's also a major cause of disability. If you smoke or have high blood pressure, you increase your risk of a stroke.


COPD isn't a single illness, but a group of lung conditions that includes bronchitis and emphysema. Smoking is the main cause of COPD, which claims the lives of about 64,000 women in the United States each year, according to the Mayo Clinic.


The number of Americans who have Alzheimer's disease has doubled since 1980, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimer's isn't simply "old-timers" forgetfulness. It's a progressive, degenerative brain disease, in which slight memory loss and confusion can eventually lead to permanent mental impairment.


Diabetes affects about 18 million Americans, and an estimated 5 million more don't know they have it, according to the American Diabetes Association. Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, usually affects people after age 40. Advanced diabetes can cause blindness, kidney failure, and severe nerve damage, and people with diabetes are much more susceptible to heart disease and stroke.


Accidents can happen anywhere, but those that pose the greatest risk for women are traffic accidents and falls.


The combination of pneumonia with influenza is the eighth-leading cause of death for women in the United States. Smoking increases the dangers associated with both pneumonia and influenza.


The best preventions against these conditions are the same as the general guidelines for good health:

• Don't smoke
  
  
• Eat healthy foods
  
  
• Maintain a healthy weight
  
  
• Exercise regularly
  
  
• See your doctor regularly