Stroke Prevention Guidelines Emphasize Healthy Lifestyle
Eat lots of fruits and veggies, get exercise, limit salt and don’t smoke, experts say
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Want to lower your risk of a first-time stroke? New guidelines from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association reinforce the idea that a healthy lifestyle is crucial.
The new guidelines advise people to exercise, control blood pressure and eat what’s known as Mediterranean or DASH-style (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diets that emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains and seeds, plus poultry and fish.
“We have a huge opportunity to improve how we prevent new strokes, because risk factors that can be changed or controlled, especially high blood pressure, account for 90 percent of strokes,” said Dr. James Meschia, lead author of the guidelines and professor and chairman of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., in an American Heart Association news release.