Most strokes can be prevented, according to new guidelines that aim to help people and their doctors avoid them.
Strokes were the fourth leading cause of death in the United States in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than half a million Americans experience one each year.
But up to 80% of strokes can be prevented with better nutrition, more exercise, and also knowledge about risk factors.
The American Stroke Association—a division of the American Heart Association—has issued the first new guidelines in ten years.
These include recommendations for people and doctors, and are aimed at better understanding who has a stroke and why. It also recommends new drugs that can help reduce the risk.
The good news is that the best way to reduce your risk of stroke is also to avoid a whole host of health problems: eating a healthy diet, staying active, and not smoking. The bad news is that it is not always that easy to achieve.
“The world is against us,” says Dr. Sean Duke, a stroke doctor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, who blames lifestyles that keep people sedentary and undernourished, such as cell phones and cheap and unhealthy food.
Here’s what you need to know about strokes and new guidelines to avoid them:
What is a stroke?
It occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is blocked or a blood vessel ruptures, depriving it of oxygen, causing brain damage that leads to difficulties thinking, speaking and walking, or even death.
healthy eating
Eating healthy can help control several factors that increase risk, such as high cholesterol, hyperglycemia and obesity, according to the heart association.
This recommends foods from the so-called Mediterranean diet, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil, which can help keep cholesterol levels low.
It also suggests limiting red meat and other sources of saturated fat. On the other hand, it is ideal if the proteins come from legumes, nuts, poultry, fish and shellfish.
And finally, limit highly processed foods and drinks with a lot of added sugar. This can also reduce calorie intake, which helps keep weight at bay.
Physical activity
Getting up and walking for at least 10 minutes a day can “dramatically” reduce the risk of having a stroke, according to Dr. Cheryl Bushnell, a neurologist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine who was part of the group that proposed the new guidelines. .
Regular exercise helps reduce blood pressure, one of the main risk factors for suffering a stroke.
More is better, of course: The Heart Society recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise—or a combination of both—per week.
How you do it isn’t so important, experts say: Go to the gym, walk or run around your neighborhood, or use treadmills or machines at home.
Drugs to control weight
Diet and exercise can help control weight, another important risk factor. However, since the last guideline update, a new class of medications has been approved that can dramatically reduce weight.
It is now recommended that doctors consider prescribing these drugs, marketed under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, to people with obesity or diabetes.
But while these drugs can help, people still need to eat healthy and exercise, warns Dr. Fadi Nahab, a stroke expert at Emory University Hospital.
Know the risk factors
For the first time, the guidelines recommend doctors screen patients for other factors that may increase stroke risk, such as sex and gender and non-medical factors such as economic stability, access to health care, discrimination and racism.
For example, according to the CDC, the risk of having a first stroke is almost double for black adults.
“If someone doesn’t have insurance or can’t get to the doctor’s office because of transportation issues or can’t take time off work to get health care… all of these factors affect the ability to prevent stroke,” Bushnell says.
Doctors can recommend low-cost health or nutrition resources and give ideas on how to stay active, without having to pay for a gym.
The guidelines also now advise that doctors screen for conditions that could increase the risk of stroke, such as high blood pressure during pregnancy or early menopause.
Symptoms of a stroke
Three of the most common symptoms are weakness in the face, arms and difficulty speaking. And time is important, because brain damage can occur quickly and can be stopped if treated quickly.
If you think you or someone you know is having a stroke, call 911 immediately.
