NORWICH, England, Feb 20, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- People with unhealthy
lifestyles have double the risk of stroke than those who eat and drink sensibly,
don't smoke and exercise, a British study found.
The study involved 20,040 men and women in Britain ages 40-79, who were taking
part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer Study. From 1993-97,
participants completed a detailed health and lifestyle questionnaire and
underwent a thorough health examination by trained nurses.
Participants scored one point for each of four healthy behaviors: current
non-smoking, physically active, moderate alcohol intake and blood vitamin C
levels indicating fruit and vegetable intake of at least five servings a day.
An individual could therefore have a total health behavior score ranging from
zero to four, with a higher score indicating more protective behavior.
Study participants were tracked for an average of more than 11 years. Strokes
were recorded using death certificates and hospital discharge data. There were
599 strokes during the follow-up period.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that after adjusting
for factors that may have affected the results, the risk of stroke was 2.3 times
greater in those with a score of zero compared to those with a score of four.
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