By Linda Searing October 13 at 1:53 PM
THE QUESTION The benefits of healthful living make for a long list. Should preventing strokes be among them?
THIS STUDY collected data on five lifestyle factors diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity and weight for 31,696 women, age 49 and older (most about 60), who did not have cardiovascular disease or cancer at the start of the study.
Factors it defined as contributing to a beneficial lifestyle and a low risk for stroke included eating healthfully (including such foods as fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy), drinking in moderation (three to nine alcoholic drinks a week), never having smoked, being physically active (walking or biking at least 40 minutes a day, for instance, and exercising more vigorously at least an hour a week) and maintaining a healthful weight (defined as having a body mass index of less than 25).
During the next 10 years, 1,554 of the women had a stroke. The better a womans lifestyle, the less likely she was to have a stroke. Those whose behaviors in all five categories were best had a 54 percent lower risk for stroke and a 62 percent lower risk for ischemic stroke (the type caused by a clot clogging a blood vessel in the brain) than women who were low-risk in none of the categories. No correlation was found between the lifestyle factors and the risk for hemorrhagic stroke, the type caused by bleeding in the brain
WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? Middle-age and older women. Although strokes can occur at any age, the risk increases with age; two-thirds of all strokes occur in people older than 65. In the United States, more women than men have a stroke each year, in part because women tend to live longer.
CAVEATS Data on lifestyle factors came from the participants responses on questionnaires. Whether the findings would apply to men remains unclear.
FIND THIS STUDY Oct. 8 online edition of Neurology, http://www.neurology.org (click Ahead of Print).
LEARN MORE ABOUT stroke at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov and http://www.strokeassociation.org.
The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult with a physician.
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Study finds that a healthful lifestyle reduces stroke risk in women