How to significantly reduce the risk of stroke?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in six deaths from cardiovascular disease in 2018 was caused by stroke, Eat This, Not That! reported.

"It's always been thought that this disease is specific to older people, and so in general the risk starts to really increase after age 60-65," said neurologist Shazam Hussain. Unfortunately, there are other types of strokes that can occur at a very, very young age. Here's how you can significantly reduce your risk of stroke, according to experts.

There are two main causes of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic. "A stroke is the sudden onset of neurological dysfunction involving the brain, eye or spinal cord," Dr. Hussein explained. "In fact, the word 'stroke' is a Greek word that means 'stroke,' because it really strikes people out of nowhere and causes them to become disabled. In general, strokes have two main categories. We talk about the ischemic type of stroke and the hemorrhagic type of stroke. The ischemic type of stroke is the type of stroke in which a blood clot occurs somewhere in the body and blocks a blood vessel in the brain, which deprives it of the blood it really needs and therefore causes problems, whereas the hemorrhagic type of stroke is when a blood vessel ruptures, causing bleeding in the brain."

People who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of stroke, research shows.

Studies also show that COVID-19 infection is also strongly associated with an increased risk of stroke.

"In general, the risk factors in men and women are quite similar," Dr. Hussein says.  "However, there are many risk factors that we can control when it comes to stroke, and the biggest one is high blood pressure."

A new study from San Diego State University found that people who lead sedentary lifestyles for 13 or more hours a day have a 44 percent increased risk of stroke. Simple daily activities are very effective in reducing the risk of stroke, experts say.

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