Archive for the ‘Stroke’ Category
Causes Of Stroke
When blood can’t get to your heart, you have a heart attack. When blood can’t get to your brain because a vessel in it ruptures or clogs, you have a stroke. The role DNA plays in causing these brain attacks varies among the different types of stroke, but a healthy diet and exercise are great at protecting you against all of them. In general, the average risk for people 18 to 44 is one in 218; for individuals 45 to 64, it’s one in 51. But if a parent had a stroke before 55, your risk is likely higher.
Having high blood pressure triples your odds. Smoking a pack a day increases your probability for one type of stroke as much as tenfold. If waking up is your idea of exercise or martini olives your preferred vegetable, your chances are also greater.
How to stay safe
- Smoking affects your blood platelets enough to cause a clot. So it is better to quit smoking
- Chomp on spinach, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, cauliflower or leafy greens. For every serving of these foods you eat per day, your risk of ischemic stroke (when a vessel clogs rather than bursts) drops by 7 per cent. The foods fiber, folate, flavanoids, magnesium and potassium all offer protection.
- Eat yogurt! Two to three servings of nonfat or low fat yogurt or other dairy a day can protect your brain. Calcium helps in reducing blood pressure and cholesterol
- Adopt a dog or cat. High blood pressure, one of the biggest stroke predicators, is strongly linked to stress. But having a pet may help you cope with both. In nail-biting situations, the blood pressure of someone who’s pet is nearby rises only half as much as the pressure of someone without pets.
