Healthy Living Cuts Risk of Stroke by 80 Percent

A recent study published in the journal Circulation stated that both men and women could reduce their risk of ischemic stroke by 80 percent simply by altering their lifestyle in five simple ways.

The study followed participants from 1986 until 1992, and identified five major lifestyle choices that reduced the risk of stroke. They are:

• Not currently smoking cigarettes. (A history of smoking did not affect the statistic.)
• Maintaining a healthy bodyweight, that is a Body Mass Index (BMI) or 25 or less. A BMI between 25 and 30 indicates that a person is overweight, a BMI of 30 or more is defined as obese.
• Moderate of vigorous physical activity for a half hour or more every day.
• A diet high in fruits, vegetables, legumes and lean protein.
• Moderate alcohol intake, defined as a drink or less for women each day and two drinks or less for men.

In a news release introducing these findings, researcher Stephanie E. Chiuve, ScD, of the Harvard School of Public Health said: "More than half of ischemic strokes, 52% in men and 54% in women, may have been prevented through adherence to a healthy lifestyle."

There was a time when the cause of strokes was a mystery. But now, as more studies are completed, it becomes clear that each person must take responsibility for the lifestyle choices that they make and how they may or may not affect their health.

If you eat right, exercise, stop smoking, maintain a healthy weight and drink moderately if at all, you reduce your risk of stroke by 80 percent. You can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by 80 percent. And your risk of diabetes by 90 percent.

If you ignore these statistic and persist in poor lifestyle choices, you make yourself a burden on your family, on the health care system, on the insurance system, and on our failing economy in general. In addition, your quality of life goes down, your likelihood of being depressed increases, as does your risk for a myriad of other health problems.

The choice is yours. If you want to change your life for the better, you can do it. If you need help, find it. It's possible at any age, any time, in any place. Unfortunately, no one can do it for you, but there are plenty of people who will support you along the way.