heart disease（1）

Heart disease is western’s society’s number-one killer, it is the leading cause of death in the US and accounts for more than one in four of all deaths. Heart disease used to be considered a male disease, and among the middle-aged it is still true. However, since 1984, more women than men actually die from heart disease. It is just that the onset of heart disease starts later for women than men. Some good news, though, for both genders is that the deaths from heart disease have been falling since the beginning of twenty-first century. Worldwide, however, the picture is not so good. Heart disease rates are climbing rapidly as more and more cultures around the globe adopt a western lifestyle - smoking more, exercising less, and eating a diet higher in fats.