Fitness is your best bet against stroke.
Recent research has shown that fitness during middle age is very effective in having a healthy life later, especially after 65. In other words, the risk of stroke drops off significantly if you do physical exercises.
According to Dr. Ralph Sacco, chair of neurology at the Miller School of Medicine from the University of Miami, it has been proved that the risk of heart diseases and stroke decreases if people rely on a healthy lifestyle based on fitness during their mid-life.
Around 20,000 adults in the mid to late 40s participated in the study. Scientists carefully monitored their activity and established that the ones that were the most fit had a 37 percent lower risk of suffering a stroke after the age of 65 years old, in comparison with the ones that were less physically active.
According to lead researcher Dr. Ambarish Pandey, a cardiology professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, the combination between daily basis physical activity and fitness exercises is crucial in maintaining your heart healthy.
Furthermore, fitness proved to be effective even after researchers took into consideration other risk factors such atrial fibrillation, abnormal heart rhythm, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Moreover, the American Heart Association recommends people to make at least 75 minutes of vigorous exercises a week or 150 minutes of physical exercises every week. Strokes most often occur when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked by a blood clot, cutting off oxygen and blood. The consequences are that brain cells die leading to the risk of permanent disabilities.
Unfortunately, stroke is the fifth killer in the United States and one of the most encountered causes of long-term impairments. Nevertheless, strengthening exercise, including strength-training machines and free weights as well as aerobic exercise, such as biking, walking, swimming and jogging proved to be very effective in preventing many types of diseases.
This way, our blood vessels are maintained healthy. The results of the study have also proved that people who did not rely on fitness had a higher risk of stroke later in life. However, people who never made physical exercises in their life should not feel discouraged. Instead, they have to understand that it is never too late to start adopting a healthier lifestyle.
Furthermore, the study did not observe the combined effect of fitness and a healthy diet, meaning that there might be many other health benefits of which we still do not know.
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