Stroke Risk Factors That Might Surprise You and Simple Lifestyle Changes That Can Help
Staying active may reduce your stroke risk by as much as 70%
It’s the leading cause of disability in the United States. And if that weren’t daunting enough, women have a higher risk of stroke than men, owing to everything from longer life expectancy to hormonal changes, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But now that we have the bad news out of the way, let’s concentrate on what we can control to slash our stroke risk, from tweaking our diet to taking a walk. Here’s everything you need to know about common stroke risk factors and simple prevention strategies.
3 sneaky stroke risk factors
Potential underlying causes of a stroke include high blood pressure (hypertension), smoking, high cholesterol levels, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, reveals neurologist James C. Grotta, MD, Director of Stroke Research, Clinical Institute for Research and Innovation, Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center and Director of the Mobile Stroke Unit Consortium.
That’s largely because all these factors lead to constricted blood vessels, increasing the likelihood of blood clots. That’s a problem, since blood clots can lead to a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mini stroke caused by temporary blocked blood flow to the brain, ischemic stroke caused by a blood clot in the brain or hemorrhagic stroke caused by a ruptured blood vessel in the brain.
Woman's World Answers
Here, three more risk factors that may surprise you:
Obstructive sleep apnea
It’s not yet well understood why obstructive sleep apnea increases the chance of having a stroke, but it may be tied to the changes in blood pressure the condition causes during sleep, Dr. Grotta notes. “While it makes sense that treating sleep apnea would remove this risk factor for stroke, we just don’t have enough data to say that.”
Even if the jury is still out on the link between apnea and stroke risk, it makes sense to treat the former. If you suspect you have sleep apnea, consult your healthcare professional for potential remedies, including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).
Migraines, smoking & oral contraceptives
Though migraines alone don’t increase the risk of stroke, they are associated “with greater reactivity of the blood vessels,” says Dr. Grotta. He adds that when you combine a history of severe migraines with smoking and birth control pills, you get a potentially stroke-inducing cocktail.
“That’s because smoking damages blood vessels and oral birth control may increase the risk of blood clots,” he continues. “If my patient had severe migraines, especially migraines with aura, I would be very careful when it comes to oral contraceptives.” Let your doctor know if these stroke risk factors apply to you so that you can get started on the right treatment plan. (You can learn more about how to quit smoking here.)
Diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes are almost twice as likely as non-diabetics to experience a stroke, according to a study in the Journal of Stroke. That’s largely because of risk factors such as obesity and damaged blood vessels. In this case, it’s Ozempic and Wegovy to the rescue.
“Research shows GLP-1 receptor agonists [such as] Ozempic and Wegovy markedly reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack in diabetics,” says Dr. Grotta. “We don’t really understand why these medications have so many health benefits, but it’s probably related to their ability to decrease obesity.”
How to reduce your risk of a stroke
You’ve likely heard it before, but it bears repeating: Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is one of the best ways to curb stroke risk. “I’ve personally tried everything from strictly plant-based diets to meat-based plans, and now I’m back to the Mediterranean way of eating,” shares Dr. Grotta.
Indeed, several studies, including recent research in the journal Stroke, show that filling your plate with staples of the Mediterranean diet—veggies, legumes, nuts and, of course, olive oil—significantly reduces stroke risk.
But whichever “menu” you choose, just be sure to steer clear of extremes. “I’ve seen people go overboard with the [high-fat, low-carb] keto diet, for example, and have a stroke, so it’s important to stick to a balanced approach,” cautions Dr. Grotta.
Staying active is important too
While diet is on one side of the stroke prevention coin, moderate exercise is on the other: Recent research in Medicine and Science in Sports Exercise showed that just one hour of resistance training per week can slash the risk of stroke and heart attack by 40 to 70 percent. That’s largely because weight lifting improves the health of blood vessels and helps keep them elastic.
In the end, “balance” remains the operative word, observes Dr. Grotta. “The biggest takeaway from the research is that the more active you are, the better. And a combination of weight training and aerobic activity a few times a week is likely best.”
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