Reducing Your Risk of Stroke
Strokes account for the third highest cause of death in the United States, cutting off oxygen to the brain and causing serious damage even if the patient survives. While your chances of having a stroke increase dramatically as you get older — doubling for each decade after you turn 55 — everyone should know the risk factors of the disease, either to help themselves or encourage friends and family to adapt healthier lifestyle habits.
Some people suffer strokes because of family history or their ethnicity: African Americans and Hispanics are at an especially high risk for having a stroke, and women are also more likely than men to have a stroke before the age of 65. Those who have already had strokes or heart attacks — including transient ischemic attacks or TIAs — are also at a higher risk. If you have a history of heart problems or TIAs, visit with your doctor regularly to monitor your health and your risk.
Other diseases or health conditions that increase your risk of stroke include diabetes, artery diseases, especially peripheral artery disease and conditions which narrow or block blood vessels, atrial fibrillation, sickle cell disease, and high blood cholesterol. High cholesterol and certain types of diabetes may be the effects of unhealthy lifestyle choices, like obesity, a high-fat diet, incredible stress, and a sedentary lifestyle, which also contribute to stroke risk. Those who smoke and eat a diet high in sodium will also place themselves at a higher risk.
Whether you belong to a certain risk group because of your sex, age and/or ethnicity, or your just want to do whatever you can to lower your risk of stroke, eat a diet with lots of fruits and vegetables — doctors recommend at least five servings per day. Get enough exercise, don’t smoke, control your blood pressure and cholesterol, and try to take care of your heart. While there is no guaranteed way to prevent having a stroke, you can educate yourself on risk factors and smart lifestyle choices to lower your chances and help loved ones stay healthy, too.
If you enjoyed this article, please bookmark it at del.icio.us »
This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 11:16 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
