People who lead unhealthy lifestyles are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke than those who eat and drink sensibly, don’t smoke, and take regular exercise, finds a study published on bmj.com today.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of illness and death worldwide. In the UK alone, the estimated annual cost of caring for stroke is around £7 billion. There is good evidence to suggest that lifestyle behaviours like smoking, physical activity and diet can influence the risk of heart disease, but their impact on stroke is less well known.
So researchers based in the east of England set out to examine the impact of four health behaviours on stroke risk in a large group of men and women living in Norfolk.
The study involved 20,040 men and women aged 40-79 years old who were taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer Study (EPIC). Between 1993 and 1997, 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 behaviours: current non-sm…
Read more Unhealthy lifestyle doubles stroke risk