Esther woke up one morning, feeling a numb feeling on her face. And when she looked up, everything looked a little blurry. When her husband came into the kitchen, there she sat, with her mouth drooping to one side. During the night, Esther had a stroke. In a few short months, it would lead her quickly to experience Alzheimer’s dementia. It eventually robbed her of her memories and in another year, it took her life.
Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States and a major cause of disability. The standard advice for prevention fits our New-Start lifestyle program–
- Enjoy a plant-based diet
- Lose weight if you are overweight or obese
- Exercise daily
But here are some new ways science is finding that’s making a difference.
Eat Red Plant Foods
Finnish researchers studied 1,031 men between the ages of 46 and 65 in a 12-year study. They discovered that people with the highest amounts of lycopene in their blood were 55-59% less likely to have a stroke than people with the lowest amounts of lycopene in their blood. The antioxidant lycopene belongs to the carotenoid family and is found in tomatoes, tomato products, red watermelons, pink grapefruit, guava, and papaya.
Watch Your Triglycerides
New research shows that triglycerides are a big predictor for strokes in women. Researchers at the New York University Langone Medical Center found that women with high triglyceride levels had 55% greater risk for having an ischemic stroke. An ischemic stroke is caused by an interruption or blockage of blood flow to or inside the brain. This risk occurred even after the researchers adjusted the results for other risk factors such as age, weight, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and exercise.
Men and women can lower their triglycerides in a variety of ways:
- Limit your saturated fat levels to 7-10% of your total calories (one reason why a plant-based diet is a good first step)
- Limit the amount of fat in your diet
- Avoid cholesterol
- Aim to bring your weight into a healthy weight range
- Add triglyceride-lowering flaxseed to your meals
- Participate in moderate walking 30-40 minutes a day
Be Positive
Pessimistic people are much more likely to experience a stroke. A recent study showed that a positive outlook reduced your risk for a stroke by 48%! Be an optimist and express gratitude daily to improve your heart health.
Get Better Sleep
Don’t skimp on sleep if you want to avoid a stroke. A University of Birmingham study showed that middle-aged women who only got less than 6 hours of sleep had a 4.5 fold increase in for having a stroke than women who regularly slept 8-9 hours a night. Regularity in sleep reduced fatigue too.
Breathe Fresh Air
Even moderate air pollution can increase your risk for a stroke. If you live in an area where pollution is a problem, watch carefully for when pollution increases (code yellow or orange). Exercise indoors on those days.
All these ways are new discoveries but older recommendations are still major risk factors in the prevention of strokes. It is still extremely important to prevent or reverse diabetes, high blood pressure, and atherosclerosis. These conditions seriously increase your risk for a stroke.
