How to Prevent a Stroke

Research has shown that both diet and fitness is integral to preventing a stroke. Aspirin can also be beneficial; talk to your physician to see if daily aspirin would be helpful for you.

Dietary measures for stroke prevention include:

• Consuming potassium. Fruits and vegetables are often rich in potassium along with a healthy diet, as well as potassium supplementation, if directed by your physician.
• Eating fish two or three times a week. Fish provides omega-3 fatty acids that may help lower stroke and heart attack rates. Those eating salmon, tuna (baked or broiled) or herring four times a week were seen to have a 27% lower risk of stroke than those who ate it once a month. Those eating fried fish or fish burgers more than once a week had a 40% higher risk of stroke.

Fitness also plays a role in stroke prevention. Overweight or obese individuals have at least a 30–50% higher risk for stroke respectively compared to normal weight men. Exercise helps maintain a healthy weight and also treats diabetes actively. Fitness measures for stroke prevention include:

• Exercising thirty minutes a day. Anything from moderate to vigorous exercise is sufficient. You can even combine several activities, such as housework, walking stairs, or taking brisk walks, to get the full thirty minutes. Exercise has shown to lower blood pressure, reduce blood clots, and can cut the rate of strokes in half.

Find out The Top 10 Risk Factors for a Stroke.

Editor’s Note: This article, adapted by authored by Jay S. Luxenberg, MD and Ernest H. Rosenbaum, MD, was based on data from Nutrition Action Health Letter by Bonnie Lieberman, Center For Science in the Public Interest Vol 34, No.2 p.1-8.

Posted in Risk Factors & Prevention, Supportive Homecare