A study published in The Lancet in 2010, called INTERSTROKE, confirms that modifiable risk factors are responsible for 88% of stroke risk. The excellent news here is the "modifiable" part of the equation -- most of these factors can be completely avoided, or at least modified.
That's great, you say, until you look at the list. Most of us know that things like "stop smoking" and "lose weight" are no-brainers for improving your health, and many of us would have done these things years ago if we knew how to go about it strategically. Maybe finding out how very important these things are for reducing risk of stroke will motivate us to take the next steps.
Major health improvements can be made if the goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based, in other words, S.M.A.R.T. (Read the full article here: S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Lifestyle Change)
Here are the top 10 ways to cut your risk of stroke by almost 90%:
1. Control Your Blood Pressure
While there are medications to control hypertension (high blood pressure), lifestyle change is a necessary component of keeping blood pressure down.
Read more:
2. Stop Smoking
Smoking not only increases risk of stroke, it is estimated to subtract 10 years from one's lifespan. Since I am not an expert in the process of quitting smoking itself, I will refer you to Quitsmoking.about.com, where you can find tips, strategies, stories and encouragement from people who have been there and been successful in quitting.
Read more reasons to quit:
How Does Smoking Increase Aging?
3. Lose Weight, Especially Around Your Abdomen
Take a look at some of the tips below - you might be surprised at how easy some of these ideas are to incorporate into your life. Not only can you find yourself dropping pounds, but by slowing down and being more mindful about your food, you may also find yourself enjoying it much more.
Read more: 10 Painless Ways to Lose Weight
4. Manage Your Diabetes
People with diabetes are at a higher risk of stroke than the general population. This risk is much higher when the diabetes is poorly-managed and blood glucose levels are elevated over long periods. It is important to take your diabetes seriously (even if you don't feel "bad" from high blood sugar), which involves sticking to your treatment strategies, among other things. This will not only go a long way in reducing your risk of stroke, but also will help bring down the likelihood of other complications.
Read the full articles:
Top 10 Ways to Increase Diabetes Life Expectancy
The Connection Between Diabetes and Stroke
5. Get Active
We know we should be exercising, but many of us simply don't like it - and when you don't like to do something, it is VERY easy to find lots of excuses not to do it. Instead of starting from a place of trying to do something you simply hate to do, why don't you wipe the slate clean and look at exercise from a new perspective? Learn to like, even love, exercise and it will be much easier to commit to an exercise habit.
Read the full article:
6. Improve Your Diet
There are many opinions about what exactly constitutes a healthy diet, which often leaves the average person confused to the point that they give up. However, there are some things that are pretty universal here -- more vegetables, less transfats, fewer trips through drive-thrus of fast food restaurants. I've included a couple of links to get you started on thinking about (and eating) healthier foods.
Read the full articles:
Nuts for a Solid Anti-Aging and Longevity Diet Plan
Add Fruit to Your Longevity and Anti-Aging Diet Plan
The Longevity Diet Plan Overview
7. Limit Alcohol, Avoid Binge Drinking
This is a tricky subject, and honestly, I have focused on the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, not the health problems associated with binge drinking or alcoholism. Clearly, drinking heavily is bad for your health, but much research shows that 2 or fewer drinks per day can be good for you, especially red wine. Any more than that starts working against you and harming your health.Read more on this topic:
Heavy Drinking Increases Stroke Risk 45 Percent
9 Types of Binge Drinkers Identified
8. Ratio of blood fats known as apolipoprotein B (apo B) to apolipoprotein AI (apo AI)
The idea here is to improve your HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL (bad cholesterol) ratio - more HDL and less LDL is the idea. The goal is to have your HDL/LDL ratio above 0.3, with the ideal being above 0.4. Of course, there are medications, such as statins, that can help you do this, but there are some lifestyle things to be done, as well (even fun ones, such as eat more dark chocolate or fish).Read the full articles:
Top 3 Ways to Reduce Your Cholesterol
The Best Types of Fish for Health
9. Manage Heart Disease
As we age, our hearts have to adapt to our changing bodies - our arteries lose flexibility, our heart walls thicken and it becomes harder for our hearts to keep up with increased demand. All of these things (and others) are made worse when we have heart disease, such as coronary artery disease, angina or other problems that can lead to heart attacks. There are several approaches to managing heart disease, which involve medications, diet and exercise - many of the same things that will also reduce risk of stroke. Read the full articles:
Understand Heart Aging and Reverse Heart Disease
Top 10 Ways to Live Long with Heart Disease
10. Avoid Stress, Treat Depression
We know that we feel worse when we are "stressed," but there is also significant evidence that stress impacts the frequency of negative health events, like stroke. Depression also has serious physical consequences, as well as resulting in neglecting our health and doing things like taking medications, exercising and making sure that we eat healthy things.Read the full articles:
Depression and Aging: Warning Signs
Worry and Anxiety Impact Longevity
Bottom Line
Again, while this list may look overwhelming, taking things a little at a time can lead to huge improvements in health, including a reduction in your risk for stroke. Also, by taking steps to improve in these areas, you will no doubt feel better along the way. Oh, yeah - it should also be noted that nine of these risk factors were also associated with increased risk of heart attacks.
Sources:
O'Donnell MJ, Xavier D, Liu L, et al. Risk factors for ischaemic and intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke in 22 countries (the INTERSTROKE study): a case-control study. The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 18 June 2010
