But having more than one risk factor is especially serious, because risk factors tend to “gang up” and worsen each other’s effects. Having two risk factors increases the chance of developing heart disease fourfold. Having three or more risk factors increases the chance more than tenfold. The fact is, most women in midlife already have heart disease risk factors. Thirty-three percent of women ages 40 to 60 have one risk factor for heart disease that they can change. Another 31 percent of women in midlife have two modifiable risk factors, while 17 percent have three or more modifiable risk factors
