Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women around the world. For many years, people believed that women were naturally more protected than men because they often develop heart problems later in life.
However, new research shows that this assumption may not be true. A recent study has found that even though women tend to have less artery‑clogging plaque than men, their risk of serious heart problems can be just as high.
Artery plaque is a fatty buildup that sticks to the inner walls of blood vessels. Over time, this buildup can narrow the arteries and reduce blood flow to the heart. If a piece of plaque breaks off or blocks an artery, it can cause a heart attack.
Doctors often use the amount of plaque in the arteries to estimate a person’s risk of heart disease. In general, more plaque is thought to mean higher risk.
In this study, scientists examined health data from more than 4,200 adults who had chest pain but no previous diagnosis of heart disease. More than half of the participants were women.
All participants underwent a special scan that produces detailed images of the heart and its blood vessels, allowing doctors to measure plaque inside the coronary arteries. The researchers then followed the participants for about two years to see who developed serious heart problems.
The results showed that fewer women had plaque in their arteries compared to men. When plaque was present, women also tended to have smaller amounts of it.
Despite this, women were almost just as likely as men to experience serious outcomes such as death, heart attack, or hospitalization due to chest pain. This surprising finding suggests that plaque alone does not fully explain heart risk in women.
Researchers also discovered that women’s risk began to increase at lower levels of plaque than men’s. In other words, a moderate amount of plaque that might be considered less dangerous in men could already be risky for women.
One possible reason is that women generally have smaller coronary arteries. Because the arteries are narrower, even a small buildup can block blood flow more easily and cause symptoms.
This research highlights an important difference in how heart disease affects women and men. Women often experience symptoms that are less obvious than the classic crushing chest pain seen in men.
They may feel fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, or discomfort in the neck, jaw, or back. Because these symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions, diagnosis may be delayed.
The findings also show why doctors need to consider sex‑specific differences when evaluating heart health. Traditional risk measures developed mostly from studies of men may not accurately reflect women’s risk. As scientists learn more about these differences, screening and treatment strategies may improve for women.
Overall, the study suggests that women should not assume they are safe simply because they have less plaque. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle remains essential.
This includes eating balanced meals, staying physically active, managing stress, avoiding smoking, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. Regular checkups are also important, especially for women with risk factors such as diabetes or family history of heart disease.
From a scientific perspective, these findings are important because they challenge long‑held beliefs about heart disease protection in women. The study shows that biological differences, such as artery size and disease patterns, may influence risk in ways that are not yet fully understood.
However, the research followed patients for only a limited time, so longer studies are needed to confirm the results. It also focused on people with chest pain, which may not represent the entire population.
Even with these limitations, the study provides strong evidence that heart disease does not affect everyone in the same way.
It encourages doctors to pay closer attention to women’s heart health and to develop more personalized approaches to prevention and treatment. By recognizing these differences, healthcare systems can better protect both women and men from the world’s leading cause of death.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
The study is published in Circulation Cardiovascular Imaging.
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