Why People Are Wearing Red Today
And what's with all the #GoRedForWomen selfies?
— -- No, you're not wearing rose-colored glasses. People are wearing a lot of red today, and they're posting #GoRedForWomen selfies.
It's the 12th annual National Wear Red Day, which takes place the first Friday in February to raise awareness for women's heart health. Since 1 in 3 women die of heart disease and stroke every year, the American Heart Association started the day to help spread the word that heart disease is 80 percent preventable.
"It's not just a man's disease," the American Heart Association says on its Go Red For Women page.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease kills 422,000 people a year, but it can be prevented by making healthy lifestyle choices such as not smoking, exercising and eating right.
Recognizing heart attack symptoms can also help -- especially considering the symptoms are a little different for women. Not all women experience the chest pain they've come to expect from a heart attack. Instead, they may feel fatigued, nauseous and have jaw pain.
National Wear Red Day is a registered trademark of the federal department of Health and Human Services and the American Heart Association.