Get Moving to Reduce Your Stroke Risk
December 12th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
(Ivanhoe Newswire) â Can you climb stairs? Or kneel down and get back up? Or even lift your groceries? These are things that could lower your stroke risk, according to new research. The study finds that people who have good physical function after the age of 40 can lower their risk of stroke by 50 percent.
Researchers in the United Kingdom examined more than 13,000 men and women over a four year period. The participants ranged in age from 40 to 79 and had not had a stroke, heart attack or cancer. Participants completed a survey on how well they were able to climb stairs, carry groceries, kneel, bend and lift. Researchers followed up with the participants until 2005.
Study authors say those that scored the best on the physical function test had a 50 percent lower risk of stroke than those that had the lowest scores. This remained after taking into consideration other stroke risks such as body mass index, cholesterol and smoking. The study also found for every increase of 10 points on the test, men had a reduced risk of stroke by 19 percent and women had a 29 percent lower stroke risk.
This study is important because it reveals that people with poor physical function may represent a high risk population for stroke. Study authors also say the inability to do these functions could indicate underlying Men’s health issues which can lead to vascular disease.
SOURCE: Neurology, 2007