Preventing Stroke: Stroke

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Preventing stroke

Many strokes can be prevented. If you've had a stroke, you can cut your odds of having another one with medical treatment as well as changes in your diet and other health habits. If you've never had a stroke, you can reduce your risk of ever having one.

Preventing stroke is largely a matter of healthy living and having regular checkups to detect conditions that can lead to stroke, such as hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, and diabetes. All adults age 20 and older should have their blood pressure checked every two years if it is normal and at least yearly if it is higher (see "Lower your blood pressure"). They should have their cholesterol checked every five years using a fasting lipid profile, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (see "Lower your cholesterol"). The American Diabetes Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health recommend diabetes testing for all healthy Americans 45 and older. People under 45 who are overweight and have one or more other risk factors for diabetes, such as a family history of the disease, should talk to their doctors about having their blood glucose levels tested (see "Control diabetes"). Here are some of the things you can do to lower your risk of stroke:

• Maintain a normal blood pressure (the most important step).

• Maintain a normal cholesterol level.

• Maintain a normal weight.

• Don't smoke.

• Reduce animal fats in your diet, including butter and other dairy fat, and eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

• Exercise regularly.

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Last updated:	January 23, 2007