Mayo Clinic Minute: Women, estrogen and heart disease

After menopause, women should pay close attention to heart health.

Dr. DeLisa Fairweather says estrogen helps protect against heart attack by preventing inflammation that contributes to the buildup of plaque in coronary arteries.

And men have a higher risk of heart attack than premenopausal women. So what should postmenopausal women do to stay heart-healthy?

Watch your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, maintain a healthy weight, eat a heart-healthy diet, exercise regularly and don't smoke.