Eighty percent preventable, according to the National Stroke Association. That’s 80 percent, people? You’d think we’d have nearly eradicated a disease like this already. Like smallpox and polio. The big difference is that preventing stroke isn’t a simple matter of getting an inoculation. Oh no, we are talking about lifestyle changes, one of the biggest challenges facing the modern day American public today.
What’s a stroke?
A stroke is generally thought of as a “brain attack.” It’s like a heart attack, but it affects the brain. Strokes strike down 500,000 Americans a year, with 150,000 fatalities – 60 percent of those afflicted were women. Depending on the source, strokes are either the third or fourth cause of death in the U.S. It is the leading cause of long-term disability in this country. Cost: about $23 million a year.
And knowing that stroke can strike anyone at any time in his life, anywhere, is unnerving. But there are risk factors one can use to calculate the likelihood of a stroke anytime soon. If you have high blood pressure, are overweight, have a family history of stroke and have poor cholesterol levels, you could be at high risk of a stroke.
The Challenge of Being Healthy
So up for a challenge? Adopt a healthy diet! One that lowers cholesterol, which leads to plaque build-up in arteries. As well as lowering blood pressure, a good diet can also lower plaque’s ability to form clots that form nasty blockages.