Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, experts say, can compensate for the high genetic risk of stroke by 43%.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Houston have named seven habits that reduce the risk of stroke. Among them – proper nutrition and regular physical exercise, which can compensate for any genetic risk, writes the Daily Mail.
In addition, smoking cessation and weight loss are important. The other three are maintaining normal blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, and lowering blood sugar levels. The habits developed by the American Heart Association are called the Seven Simple Rules of Life. Specifically, maintaining a good diet, exercising regularly, not smoking, losing weight, maintaining normal blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, and lowering blood sugar levels.
Experts followed 11,500 middle-aged people in the United States for nearly 30 years to see how their lifestyle affected stroke risk.
All participants were given a “polygenic stroke risk score” based on blood tests that identified mutations associated with fatal events. It estimated the likelihood of them having a stroke in their lifetime based solely on their DNA.
Low cholesterol levels were assessed based on whether and how much they were taking lipid-lowering drugs such as statins. Blood pressure was also measured by what medications people were taking, and blood sugar levels were assessed based on whether they were being treated for diabetes. Smoking status was recorded, BMI showed body weight, diet was assumed to include fruits and vegetables, and physical activity was measured in minutes per week.
Participants with the highest genetic risk and the worst heart health had the highest lifetime risk of stroke, about 25%.
But for those who practiced the Seven Simple Rules of Life, that number dropped by 30-43%, as the analysis shows. Adherence to the habits also increased nearly six years of stroke-free life.
Overall, the healthiest group had the fewest strokes (6%), while those with the least habits had the most (57%).
“Our study confirms that changing lifestyle risk factors, such as blood pressure control, can offset the genetic risk of stroke. We can use genetic information to determine who is at higher high risk and encourage them to lead healthy lifestyles related to heart disease.” – vascular disease, for example, to follow these rules to reduce this risk and live a longer and healthier life,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Miriam Fornage.
Recall that the Ukrainian pediatrician, TV presenter Evgeny Komarovsky told how to reduce the risk of stroke at an early age.
Named foods that lower the risk of stroke
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Source: korrespondent
