Barbara Streisand’s name is well-known. The diva, one of the best-selling music artists of all time, is also known for her political views and charitable contributions. A few years ago, the celebrity combined the two by publicly speaking about a terminal condition with she intimately experienced.

The Women’s Heart Alliance was formed in 2014 by Oscar-winning actress and singer Ron Perelman, a billionaire. Streisand stated that she was “completely astounded” to see bias remain in the hospital emergency room, which was caused by the gender discrepancy in heart health. When the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center opened at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, the Evergreen singer committed to boosting research into women’s heart health.

“I read an article about gender differences in heart health in The New York Times fifteen years ago,” Streisand, 79, says.

“I was astonished that women don’t receive the same attention in diagnosis and treatment as guys and that cardiovascular disease kills more women than all cancer combined.”

“I’ve never understood why men and women shouldn’t be treated equally.”

Many people are surprised to learn that women are more likely than men to die within a year of having a heart attack.

The actress said that because heart disease is viewed as a “man’s disease,” doctors are usually “dismissive” when women complain about symptoms that heart issues could cause.

“For so many years, heart disease was thought to be a man’s disease, and women with comparable or more strange symptoms were sometimes misdiagnosed as having stomach troubles or being emotionally distressed,” the Grammy Award winner stated.

Streisand, on the other hand, has a personal connection to heart health because she lost her mother, Diana, to the disease when she was 81 years old.

In an interview with InStyle magazine regarding her mother’s health and the urgent bypass surgery that she required, the actress claimed that misconceptions about the disease were causing women to die too young.

Because many people are unaware that women’s symptoms are frequently different and more subtle than men’s, the ailment is commonly misdiagnosed. Instead of the crushing chest agony shown in Hollywood, which is more common in men, our early signs of a heart attack may include nausea, backaches, severe tiredness, or shortness of breath,” she notes.

To challenge these conventional views, Streisand has begun a series of activities to urge women to have their hearts tested regularly, particularly if they are experiencing symptoms and wish to take “proactive” measures to minimize their risk.

The Women’s Heart Alliance labeled heart disease the “woman killer” in one ad, while another from the previous year urged young women and women of color, in particular, to be aware of the signs.

The British Heart Foundation has also commented on the “gender gap” in heart health in the UK. “Decades of research have transformed the likelihood that someone would survive a heart attack,” said Dr. Sonya Babu-Narayan of the British Heart Foundation. If you’re a woman, the odds are stacked against you.

According to the Bias and Biology briefing, women are 50% more likely than males to receive the erroneous initial diagnosis for a heart attack. Women are also less likely to receive medications to help prevent another heart attack after having one.

According to the organization, while heart attack symptoms vary from person to person, the following are the most common warning signs:

Pain or discomfort in the chest that occurs out of nowhere and lasts. Squeezing, pressure or tightness may be felt.
It is possible that your left or right arm and your neck, jaw, back, or stomach will become sore.
Feeling nauseated, perspiring, dizzy, or out of breath.

According to the NHS, cardiac illness is one of the leading causes of heart attacks. This is due to fatty substance buildup in the coronary arteries, which causes the blood supply to the heart to become clogged or interrupted.

These fatty deposits might cause the artery walls to become furred over time. The fatty deposits are referred to as atheroma, and the process is referred to as atherosclerosis.

“I include fruit, vegetables, and greens in almost all of my meals,” she stated. I prefer eating fish and chicken, but I occasionally substitute plant-based protein for meat.”

“I love to eat, and it doesn’t take much to have me lose focus on my aims,” she laughed.

Other benefits of preserving heart health include a lower chance of stroke and dementia.