'I'm a Cardiologist—Here's How to Prevent 80% of Strokes'
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a whopping 80% of strokes are preventable. New stroke prevention guidelines released in October 2024 may save your life—or at the very least your mobility and independence.
"The most effective way to reduce the occurrence of a stroke and stroke-related death is to prevent the first stroke—referred to as primary prevention," Cheryl D. Bushnell, MD, MHS, FAHA, professor and vice chair of research in the department of neurology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said in a statement. Dr. Bushnell added that some people have elevated risks of stroke from several factors, including genetics and healthcare simply being unaffordable or inaccessible, leading to a lack of preventative care and screenings.
The new guidelines are the first update to stroke prevention recommendations in a decade. Find out what you (and your doctors) can do to keep yourself safe and healthy.
Related: This Simple Test Could Predict Heart Attack and Stroke Risk 30 Years in Advance, Says Huge New Study
What Is a Stroke?
A stroke is the name given to an interruption of blood flow to the brain due to blockage from a blood clot or a ruptured blood vessel.
What Are Stroke Symptoms?
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association use a handy acronym FAST for immediate stroke symptoms: "Face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, time to call 911."
Other signs of stroke can include weakness or numbness in the face (especially on one side), confusion, trouble speaking, difficulty walking, vision changes, dizziness, loss of coordination and a severe headache.
In both the short and long term, strokes can cause severe brain damage, which in turn can make it difficult for people to think, speak, walk or even eat and drink without help.
Related: 'I Almost Died of a Stroke At Age 43—Here's the First Symptom I Wish I'd Paid Attention To'
How to Prevent a Stroke
Here are tips from a cardiologist, vascular neurologist and registered dietitian on how to lower your own risk of stroke.
Eat a healthy diet
You've heard it before, but they'll say it again: A healthy diet, especially the Mediterranean diet, is good for your heart health as well as for preventing stroke.
"The Mediterranean diet has been clinically proven to lower the incidence of stroke," Julia Zumpano, RD, at the Cleveland Clinic previously told Parade. "By changing what you eat and drink, you can lower your chance of developing these risk factors, specifically obesity, diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure."
Related: What Is the Mediterranean Diet and What Can You Eat On It?
Get moving
Exercise is a huge factor in keeping your heart healthy and your stroke risk as low as possible—and you don't need to sign up for a 5K or an Ironman competition, either (unless you want to, of course!).
Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center, says just short walks can be a huge step in getting healthier.
"Add brief intervals of five minutes of walking throughout the day," he advises. "Just by taking five-minute walking breaks every one to two hours, you can accumulate over 30 to 40 minutes of daily physical activity that would otherwise have been spent sitting."
If you want extra heart health benefits, Dr. Chen recommends walking up and down stairs.
Quit smoking
C'mon, you knew this was coming.
Smoking doubles your risk of stroke—as well as the risk of those who live with you and may be breathing in your tobacco smoke secondhand. Two years after you quit, your stroke risk decreases significantly, and within five years, your risk will be back down to that of a nonsmoker.
Avoid alcohol
Alcohol can increase your risk of stroke in part because it can increase your odds of having other risk factors, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and being overweight. Booze can also increase your chances of atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that can put you at a higher risk for stroke.
Related: The Unexpected Stroke Sign Most People Miss, According to a Vascular Neurologist
Rest up—but not too much
Try to get at least seven hours of sleep per night, but not more than nine, experts advise: Research suggests that both too little and too much sleep have been linked to higher risk of stroke.
Manage stress
Easier said than done, right? But stress is a huge factor in heart health and stroke risk, since it can impact your blood pressure, heart rate and inflammation, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Related: This Is the One Thing Stroke Doctors Say You Should Absolutely Never Do
Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check
Both high blood pressure and high cholesterol are major stroke risk factors, so make sure you know what your levels are and take appropriate steps with your doctor to mitigate them.
This is where a different diet can come in handy: The DASH diet.
"The DASH diet emphasizes limited salt intake," Dr. Chen notes, which can reduce hypertension.
Manage your blood sugar levels
Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for stroke, so keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy place can help reduce your chance of stroke, Dr. Chen says.
Keep up with your check-ups
"The new guidelines are well-received and long overdue. It is important to note, that the main focus of these new guidelines is on primary prevention," Dr. Jose M. Morales, MD, vascular neurologist and neurointerventional surgeon at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., says.
Seeing your primary care physician regularly, and keep them abreast of what's going on in your life: Your diet, stress levels, health history, medications (especially birth control, hormone replacement or hormonal therapies) and whether you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant can all play huge roles in your risk of stroke. Your doctor can recommend preventative measures that are best for you, whether it's simply lifestyle changes or the addition of medications like Ozempic or similar GLP-1 drugs for diabetes or weight loss, a daily aspirin or cholesterol- or blood pressure-reducing medicines.
Up Next:
Related: The #1 Mini-Stroke Symptom Most People Miss, According to a Cleveland Clinic Neurologist
Sources
"Alcohol and Stroke." Stroke.org
"Stroke Symptoms and Warning Signs." Stroke.org
"Understanding Smoke and Stroke." World Stroke Organization
Solve the daily Crossword
