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General Forum: Health | | Preventing a Stroke--Siri Siri | |
| You've heard about the importance of a heart-healthy lifestyle. You might even have one. But have you given much thought to your brain? Every year, 150,000 Americans die from strokes, and many more become permanently disabled. Like heart attacks, strokes are closely tied to a person's daily habits. By making a few healthy changes, especially if you're under 55, you can dramatically cut your risk of one of the most devastating maladies around.
Most strokes -- about 80 percent -- are caused by clogged arteries in the brain. Doctors call these ischemic strokes, but it's easier to think of them as "brain attacks." Not surprisingly, many of the lifestyle changes that prevent clogged arteries around the heart will also ward off ischemic strokes. The other 20 percent of strokes, known as hemorrhagic strokes, occur when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. Again, by adopting some of the basic tenets of healthy living, many of these strokes can be prevented.
Here's a look at the best ways to prevent a stroke. Taking these precautions makes sense for everyone, but it's especially crucial for people at high risk of stroke, including those who have already had a transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke).
Control your blood pressure
Keeping your blood pressure in check is the single most important way to prevent a stroke. Over time, high blood pressure damages blood vessels in the brain, increasing the risk of both hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes. The threat of ischemic stroke is especially severe. The risk of having blockages in the brain is eight times higher for people with extreme hypertension (180/90 or more) than it is for those with normal blood pressure, according to the journal Postgraduate Medicine. Even mild hypertension -- slightly above 140/90 -- can raise the odds by 50 percent. And recently the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute identified a further risk category -- "prehypertension" -- as blood pressure that falls between 120-139/80-89.
If you have high blood pressure, changing your eating habits can bring it down significantly. The American Heart Association advises adding more fruits, vegetables, and fat-free dairy products to your diet. Vegetables and fruits are high in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and these minerals can help lower or prevent high blood pressure when combined with a low-fat, low-salt diet, according to the AHA.
Eating just two potassium-rich bananas a day, for example, may help control blood pressure; a study from India found that blood pressure fell by 10 percent among people who ate two bananas daily for a week. Researchers at Harvard University got similar results. A drop in blood pressure, in turn, translates to a decrease in your risk of having a stroke.
If your blood pressure is already a little high, new recommendations from the National High Blood Pressure Education Program advise that you consume over 3,500 mg of potassium a day, or the equivalent of about seven large bananas. Fortunately, you can also get plentiful supplies of potassium from other foods, such as potatoes, avocados, tomatoes, citrus fruits, yogurt, and tuna. (If you have kidney problems, check with your doctor before increasing your potassium intake.)
Diet in combination with exercise can have an even more profound effect. A report in Sports Medicine showed that regular exercise can also decrease blood pressure by as much as 10 points. Aerobic exercise -- like swimming, bicycling, brisk walking, or dancing -- for 25 to 30 minutes at least three times a week can make the biggest difference.
Avoid smoking
Smoking wreaks havoc on arteries throughout the body, and those in the brain are no exception. Smokers with high blood pressure are prime targets for a hemorrhagic stroke. And, on average, smokers are about 50 percent more likely than nonsmokers to suffer an ischemic stroke, according to Postgraduate Medicine. The more a person smokes, the greater the danger. If you're a smoker, it's time to quit. Within five years, your stroke risk will be about the same as someone who never smoked.
Stay active
Even if you don't have hypertension, regular exercise will strengthen your arteries and prevent the buildup of plaque in blood vessels. It all adds up to powerful protection against ischemic strokes. A study of more than 1,000 people (including 369 stroke victims) published in the February 1998 issue of Stroke found that exercise cut the risk of stroke by about 60 percent. To give your brain a boost, the National Stroke Association recommends getting at least 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week. The benefits of exercise extend to stroke survivors as well: The American Heart Association has issued guidelines stressing the importance of aerobic and strengthening exercises for improving overall health and reducing the risk of subsequent strokes.
Go easy on alcohol
One alcoholic drink each day if you're a woman, or two if you're a man won't do any harm, and, if your preferred beverage is a glass of red wine, it may even strengthen your arteries and heart. But three or more drinks each day can double the risk of an ischemic stroke. If you have trouble stopping at one or two drinks, you're better off quitting completely.
Ask about aspirin
This common painkiller may help prevent the blood clots that can cause ischemic strokes or heart attacks. At least 133 studies involving more than 53,000 subjects have found that daily doses of aspirin cut the risk of having a stroke or heart attack by about 30 percent. However, a 2005 study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that women may not get as much benefit from aspirin therapy as men do. The women-only study found that 100 mg of aspirin every other day only reduced the risk of stroke by 17 percent. Aspirin can cause ulcers and other stomach problems, so you shouldn't take it regularly unless your doctor says it's okay. Also, a recent study reported in the medical journal Lancet suggests that taking ibuprofen can interfere with the cardiac benefits of aspirin, so check with your doctor if you use ibuprofen regularly for pain relief.
Work closely with your doctor
Despite all of your best efforts, lifestyle changes aren't always enough. If diet and exercise don't lower your pressure to a safe level, your doctor may prescribe blood pressure medication.
Also, if you have diabetes -- a disease that damages blood vessels -- heart disease, or a history of stroke, it will take a team effort to protect your brain. Patients with diabetes should work carefully with their doctors to make sure their blood sugar is under control. If you're at risk for blood clots, your doctor may prescribe blood-thinning drugs or even surgery. With aggressive treatment, your odds of stroke will drop dramatically. Now that's peace of mind.
Posted by: Mr. Siri Siri At: 18, Mar 2006 6:25:41 PM IST
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