Healthy life style can cut down chances for stroke

Since stroke is the second biggest cause of mortality in people over 60, primary prevention of the condition is crucial because its effects are frequently catastrophic and irreversible. Smoking, being overweight, not exercising regularly, drinking alcohol, and eating poorly are all known risk factors for stroke connected to lifestyle. The combined impact of numerous modifiable lifestyle factors on stroke risk has impressively lowered risk by 44% to 79%. However, little is known about how leading a healthy lifestyle affects stroke risk in people who are more susceptible to stroke due to other cardiovascular disorders or diseases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 795,000 Americans have a stroke each year. Accordingly, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds, and a stroke-related death occurs every 3.5 minutes. More than half of stroke survivors aged 65 and older report reduced mobility, making stroke a significant cause of serious long-term impairment. Stroke can also strike younger folks; in 2014, 38% of stroke patients admitted to hospitals were under 65 years old.

A good cardiovascular lifestyle can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 43% in people who are genetically predisposed to it. This is new study conducted by UTHealth Houston and recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. 11,568 adults aged 45 to 64 who were stroke-free at baseline and monitored for a median of 28 years were included in the study. The American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 recommendations—quitting smoking, eating healthier, exercising, losing weight, managing blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, and lowering blood sugar—were used to determine the levels of cardiovascular health. A stroke polygenic risk score was used to calculate a person's lifetime risk of stroke, with larger scores going to those with more genetic risk factors.

Myriam Fornage, PhD, senior author and professor of molecular medicine and human genetics at the Institute of Molecular Medicine at UTHealth Houston, stated that "our study proved that altering lifestyle risk factors, such as lowering blood pressure, might counteract a hereditary risk of stroke." "We can utilise genetic data to identify who is more at risk, and we can encourage them to lead a healthy cardiovascular lifestyle, including adhering to the AHA's Life's Simple 7, to minimise that risk and live a longer, healthier life." At McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Fornage has the Laurence and Johanna Favrot Distinguished Professor in Cardiology title.

The study's participants with the highest hereditary risk of stroke and the worse cardiovascular health had a lifetime stroke risk of 25%. No matter how much of a genetic predisposition to stroke a person had, individuals who had maintained good cardiovascular health reduced their risk by 30% to 45%. That added up to almost six more years without experiencing a stroke.

In general, individuals who adhered poorly to Life's Simple 7 experienced the greatest number of stroke events (56.8%), while those who adhered strongly experienced 71 strokes (6.2%).

The polygenic risk score has not received widespread validation, which makes it less useful clinically, especially for those with various racial or cultural backgrounds. This is a weakness of the article.

After adjusting for other risk factors, a previous study by Susanna C. Larsson and colleagues found that men who maintained healthy lifestyle habits had a statistically significant 72% lower risk of total stroke than men with 0 or 1 factor. Additional adjustments for a history of atrial fibrillation, diabetes, heart failure, high cholesterol, hypertension, and other conditions did not significantly change the outcomes. For both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, there was a similar relationship between leading a healthy lifestyle and the risk of stroke.