Lifestyle & stroke

As we age, we get more health issues. Some will kill, some incapacitate, while others merely cause inconvenience. The incidence of cardiovascular diseases increases as one gets older. Hypertension and irregular heart rhythm predispose to stroke. However, a significant portion of people who suffer a stroke do not have these predisposing conditions. A minor stroke can leave minimal disability but most of the time it will leave the victim with significant disabilities that requires chronic care. In the UK, a recent report from the National Audit Office estimated that the annual cost of caring for people with stroke was about 7 billion pounds. Thus, for healthy individuals, knowing which lifestyle habits are associated with increased stroke risk would certainly be beneficial.

A recent study from the University of East Anglia examined the potential combined impact of 4 health behaviours on stroke incidence in men and women living in the general community in Norfolk, England (BMJ 2009; 338: b349).  The participants were 20,040 men and women aged 40 – 79, drawn from the Norfolk component of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC-Norfolk), with no known stroke or myocardial infarction at baseline survey in 1993 – 1997. They were followed up till 2007. The 4 health behaviours were current non-smoking, moderate alcohol intake (< 14 units per week), physically not inactive (physically inactive means sedentary job and no recreational activity) and a plasma concentration of vitamin C ≥ 50 micromol/L (indicating the consumption of at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day). The study found that the relative risk of developing a stroke is inversely related to the number of health behaviours. Compared to those with 4 health behaviours, the relative risk for stroke for both men and women in those with 3 health behaviours was increased by 15%. The increase was 58% for those with 2 health behaviours, 118% for 1 health behaviour and 131% for those without any health behaviours.

The most well known side effect of smoking is lung cancer. Not smoking at all certainly stops you from having an increased chance of developing lung cancer. Not smoking will also save you money and stop you from smelling like an ashtray when you walk near someone. Now, we know that not smoking would also reduce your risk of developing a stroke. Eating a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables daily coupled with daily exercise are part and parcel of a healthy lifestyle. Instead of taking the elevator to go up a couple of floors, take the stairs instead. You will be surprised how easy it is for you to get enough daily physical activity to put you into the physically active category. Finally, if you like your daily dose of wine, keep to less than 2 glasses per day.

See how easy it is to practice the 4 health behaviours. Don’t think about adopting the 4 health behaviours, just do it! This may just save you from developing a debilitating stroke or, worse still, a fatal one.