(RxWiki News) You may have more control over your stroke risk than you think. Healthy lifestyle practices may help prevent many strokes, a new study found.
New data from a global study identified 10 risk factors — which can be addressed with lifestyle habits — that may be responsible for 9 out of 10 strokes.
The study included over 26,000 men and women from 32 countries across North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
This study found that the most important healthy habit in preventing stroke across the globe may be keeping a healthy blood pressure. Preventing high blood pressure could prevent almost half (48 percent) of the number of strokes, this study found.
Being physically active could prevent over one third (36 percent) of strokes, these researchers found.
The remaining healthy habits that may prevent stroke included the following: keeping a healthy diet, keeping a healthy weight (waist-to-hip ratio), avoiding smoking, keeping a healthy heart, having a healthy psychosocial environment (such as reduced stress), avoiding drinking alcohol, preventing diabetes and maintaining a good ratio of apolipoproteins.
How much of a role these factors played in preventing stroke varied by region. Speak with your doctor about your risk for stroke.
This study was recently published in The Lancet.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Canadian Stroke Network, among others, funded this study. AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer also provided funds for this study.
