Lifestyle Factors Affect Stroke Risk

Women with a healthy lifestyle are half as likely to have a stroke, says research from Sweden. The study included more than 31,000 women. Their average age was 60. The women answered 350 survey questions. They were then followed for an average of 10 years. During that time, there were 1,554 strokes. The researchers looked at the lifestyle factors of the women who had a stroke. They compared them with factors of women who did not. They found that just 5 factors could help to predict stroke risk: not smoking, eating a healthy diet, moderating alcohol intake, being physically active, and having a body-mass index in the normal-weight range. Women with even one of these factors were 23% less likely to have a stroke, compared with women who had none. Women with all 5 factors were 54% less likely to have a stroke. Less than 2% of women had all 5 factors. The study was published Oct.