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Healthy lifestyles halve risk of stroke

28 February 2009

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Relatively modest and feasible differences in health behaviours may have substantial impact on stroke risk Dr Phyo Myint, School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, University of East Anglia

Recent research suggests that a combination of four healthy lifestyle choices reduce your chances of having a stroke by half.

The study, published this week in the British Journal of Medicine, confirms that eating five fruit or veg a day, not smoking, only drinking moderate amounts of alcohol and exercising moderately halves your risk of stroke.

High blood pressure, which can be managed by limiting salt intake and controlling weight, has already been linked with stroke, but less is known about other risk factors.

"We were interested in what other modifiable lifestyle factors apart from weight control and limiting salt intake would relate to stroke risk," lead research Dr Myint told the Bupa health information team.

"Our results indicate that these other health behaviours... appear additionally to influence stroke risk," he added.

Between 1993 and 1997, Dr Myint and colleagues recruited 20,040 men or women aged between 40 and 79. The volunteers completed a detailed lifestyle questionnaire, and were examined by a nurse.

The researchers also measured levels of vitamin C in the volunteer's blood. A concentration of 50 micromol/l or more was taken to indicate a diet of five or more portions of fruit a day.

After an average of 12 years, 599 people in the study had died because of a stroke. A similar number of men and women died.

After taking age, sex, blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol levels, history of diabetes and aspirin use and social class into account, the researchers found that four key lifestyle factors changed the risk of stroke.

"Men and women who had four health behaviours - not smoking; not being physically inactive, moderate alcohol intake (more than 1 and less than 14 units a week: a unit is half a pint of beer or a glass of wine); and eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day as estimated using blood vitamin C level - had less than half the subsequent stroke rate in the next 12 years compared to men and women who did not have any of these behaviours," Dr Myint explained.

The risk of stroke reduced by smaller amounts in people who had fewer of these lifestyle behaviours.

"The study showed that relatively modest and feasible differences in health behaviours may have substantial impact on stroke risk," Dr Myint concluded.

Key facts

  • A stroke happens when a blood clot stops oxygen rich blood reaching the brain, or when a blood vessel bleeds in the brain. This study did not differentiate between the types of stroke in volunteers.
  • Every five minutes someone has a stroke in the UK.
  • Strokes are the most common cause of disability in the UK.
  • The most common signs of a stroke include:
  • Facial weakness
  • Arm or leg weakness
  • Speech problems
  • Visual problems
  • If you think someone is having a stroke, contact the emergency services immediately.