American Heart Association/American
Stroke Association guideline
Eating
Mediterranean or DASH-style diets, regularly engaging in physical activity and
keeping your blood pressure under control can lower your risk of a first-time
stroke, according to updated AHA/ASA guideline published in the American Heart
Association's journal Stroke.
"We
have a huge opportunity to improve how we prevent new strokes, because risk
factors that can be changed or controlled — especially high blood pressure —
account for 90 percent of strokes," said James Meschia, M.D., lead author
of the study and professor and chairman of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in
Jacksonville, Florida.
The
updated guidelines recommend these tips to lower risk:
- Eat a Mediterranean
or DASH-style diet, supplemented with nuts.
- Monitor high blood
pressure at home with a cuff device.
- Keep
pre-hypertension from becoming high blood pressure by making lifestyle
changes such as getting more physical activity, eating a healthy diet and
managing your weight.
- Reduce the amount of
sodium in your diet; sodium is found mostly in salt.
- Visit your
healthcare provider annually for blood pressure evaluation.
- If your medication
to lower blood pressure doesn't work or has bad side effects, talk to your
healthcare provider about finding a combination of drugs that work for
you.
- Don't smoke. Smoking
and taking oral birth control pills can significantly increase your stroke
risk. If you're a woman who experiences migraines with aura, smoking
raises your risk of stroke even more than in the general population.
- Mediterranean-style
or DASH-style diets are similar in their emphasis on fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, poultry and fish. Both are limited in
red meat and foods containing saturated fats, which are mostly found in
animal-based products such as meat, butter, cheese and full-fat dairy.
- Mediterranean-style
diets are generally low in dairy products and DASH-style diets emphasize
low-fat dairy products.
- Avoiding secondhand
smoke also lowers stroke and heart attack risks, according to the
guidelines.
The writing committee reviewed existing guidelines, randomized
clinical trials and some observational studies.
"Talking about stroke prevention is worthwhile,"
Meschia said. "In many instances, stroke isn't fatal, but it leads to
years of physical, emotional and mental impairment that could be avoided."
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