Relatively modest and easily achievable health behaviors such as exercising regularly and eating lots of fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk of stroke. Those who did not smoke, exercised regularly, used alcohol only moderately (1-4 drinks weekly) and consumed lots of fruits and vegetables were at lowest risk for a stroke. Those who had none of those behaviors had the highest risk, and the risk between these two groups was just over double.
These findings are based on a British prospective, population-based study with a 11.6 year follow-up of 20,000 men and women without histories of stroke or heart disease. BMJ 2009 Feb 19; 338:b349
PositiveTip: Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables each day, and don’t forget to be active.