Women well into middle age can still reduce their risk for stroke by eating well, exercising and not smoking, according to a new study published recently in the scientific journal Stroke.
After analysis of data from 60,000 women in their 50s, 60s and 70s, the study found that women’s risk of stroke drops by 25% simply by making healthier lifestyle choices. Modifications in one’s diet were found to reduce stroke risk by as much as 23%, the study reports.
The co-author of this study, Dr Goodarz Danaei, an associate professor of cardiovascular health at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (Boston), said, "Women who made lifestyle modifications in middle age reduced their long-term risk of total stroke by nearly a quarter and ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke, by more than one-third."
According to the American Stroke Association, women are more likely than men to have a stroke, die from stroke and have poorer health and physical function after suffering a stroke. Based on these assumptions, Dr Danaei and his team theorised that making mid-life lifestyle changes might help reduce risk of stroke among women. The team tested their hypothesis, with assistance of data from the “Nurses' Health Study” in the US, which includes health information on nearly 60,000 women who participated at 52 years of age (on average), and were followed for a period of 26 years.
Their key focus areas for healthy lifestyle changes were: the impact of smoking cessation, exercising for 30 minutes or more daily, and gradual weight loss for women who were overweight. They also studied the impact of making recommended dietary modifications which emphasise eating more fish, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as less red meat, no processed meat and less alcohol.
Their analysis found that 4.7% women who made no lifestyle interventions had a stroke of any type, with 2.4% having an ischemic stroke and 0.7% having a hemorrhagic stroke. However, engaging in the three non-dietary interventions - quitting smoking, daily exercise and weight loss - was estimated to reduce the risk of stroke overall by 25% and ischemic stroke by 36%. Furthermore, sustained dietary changes reduced the risk of total stroke by 23%.
The study has also reported that increasing fish and nut consumption, and reducing unprocessed red meat consumption appears to have a positive impact on reducing stroke risk. However, it was observed that the degree of impact from these dietary changes was not as significant as those achieved through either increased physical activity, quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.
Researchers believe that these lifestyle choices do not necessarily have to be ingrained from a young age. As long as they are adopted in mid-life, they can still be beneficial. “We found that changing to a healthy lifestyle, even in your 50s, still has the potential to prevent strokes,” explained Dr Danaei.
Readers should be aware that this was an observational study which included mostly white, middle-aged women. However, the researchers have cited other studies to support the proportional changes in stroke risk from lifestyle and dietary modifications to arrive at their conclusion and are confident that the findings are generally applicable to all women.
