Are you conscientiously doing anything in your daily routine that would be considered stroke prevention?

For the first time in a number of generations, we are expecting this upcoming generation will not have the average lifespan of its parents. We are inundated with information on what increases our risks for health issues like cancer, heart attack and stroke. We are also inundated with plans, methods and techniques for minimizing that risk. A recent article on LiveScience.com caught my attention. It is “7 Ways to Raise Your Risk of Stroke.” To raise it? I read on. Three of the seven did not surprise me. A high-fat diet, being obese and smoking lead to an increase risk of three. Even the one that stated being unhappy increases one's risk of stroke did not totally surprise me. Three of the seven made me pause and think.

Being single – Being born in the wrong demographic – Being born in the Southern United States.

One study showed that happily married men had a 64% reduction in likelihood of having a stroke. The same study also showed that unhappily married men had the same risk as single men. Blacks have twice the incidence of stroke as do whites. Women 35-64 are three times as likely as men of the same age group to have strokes.

A term with which I was previous unfamiliar was that of the “Stroke Belt.” North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama are part of the “Stroke Belt.” Depending upon one’s demographic, being born in the “Stroke Belt” could increase your risk of stroke by 22-30%. A Harvard public health professor indicated that part of the reason may be due to risk factors like poor diet, smoking and obesity which may start earlier in southern states.

Obviously there are some factors which can not be controlled. With in the influx of media information on how to prevent a stroke, I wonder whether or not people are really listening. Are you really listening? Are you conscientiously doing anything in your daily routine that would be considered stroke prevention?

Information for this blog came from:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100316/sc_livescience/7waystoraiseyourriskofstroke/print