Five simple steps to cut stroke risk

Eat as varied a diet as your pocket and tastebuds will allow. The truth is that much is not understood about the way in which foods interact with each other and with our bodies. So just vary it all up and forget about it. Picture: AP

Eat as varied a diet as your pocket and tastebuds will allow. The truth is that much is not understood about the way in which foods interact with each other and with our bodies. So just vary it all up and forget about it. Picture: AP

Published Oct 21, 2014

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London - Women could more than halve their risk of stroke by making five simple lifestyle changes.

Staying slim, eating lots of fruit and vegetables, exercising regularly, never smoking, and drinking in moderation cut the chances of having a stroke by 54 percent, a study has found.

The risk of ischaemic stroke, the most common form which is caused by a clot in the brain, is cut even more – by 62 percent, or almost two-thirds.

But while the advice may sound familiar, it seems it is not that easy to follow. Fewer than one in 50 of the women studied ticked all five boxes.

Researcher Susanna Larsson, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, said: “Because the consequences of stroke are usually devastating and irreversible, prevention is of great importance.

“These results are exciting because they indicate a healthy diet and lifestyle can substantially reduce the risk of stroke.”

The study asked around 32 000 Swedish women, with an average age of 60, about their diet and lifestyle. The exercise requirement was to walk or cycle for 40 minutes a day and do at least one hour a week of more strenuous exercise.

Moderate drinking was defined as no more than 13 units of alcohol a week – roughly six glasses of wine.

Most of the women only followed two or three of the steps. More than 1 500 ticked none of the boxes and fewer than 600 followed all five steps, the journal Neurology reports.

Ten years later, 1 554 of the women had suffered a stroke. But their risk went down with each healthy living box ticked. Dr Larsson said the five steps keep blood pressure in check – a key factor in preventing strokes.

At least one Briton has a stroke every five minutes. It is the third largest cause of death after cancer and heart disease. - Daily Mail

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