LEADING an unhealthy lifestyle more than doubles the risk of
stroke, experts warned today following a study on more 20,000
people.
Researchers found that people who drank too much alcohol, ate too
few fruit and vegetables, took little exercise and smoked were far
more likely to suffer a stroke.
Men and women aged 40 to 79 with no known history of stroke were
recruited for the study, carried out in Norfolk.
Between 1993 and 1997, they completed a detailed health and
lifestyle questionnaire and underwent a thorough health examination
by trained nurses.
They were then followed for about 11 years to assess their
chances of developing a stroke.
People were regarded as having unhealthy behaviours if they
smoked, were inactive, drank too much and ate few fruit and
vegetables.
Meanwhile, people displayed healthy behaviours if they were non-
smokers, were active, had a moderate alcohol intake (one to 14 units
per week) and ate at least five servings of fruit and veg each day.
Overall, there were 599 strokes during the study period.
The results were analysed and adjusted for factors that might
influence the results, such as age, sex, body mass index, blood
pressure and social class.
The remaining data showed that people who smoked, drank a lot,
ate little fruit and veg and took no exercise were more than twice
as likely to develop stroke compared with people who were non-
smokers, took exercise, had moderate alcohol intake and ate atleast
five servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
The study found that the more unhealthy behaviours a person had
in their life, the greater their chance of developing a stroke.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, the authors, from the
University of East Anglia, said people could change their lifestyles
to reduce their risk.
The estimated annual cost of caring for stroke sufferers is about
pounds 7 billion in the UK.
(C) 2009 Coventry Evening Telegraph. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved