English 
Francais 
عربي 
Keeping fit can help combat the risk of stroke!
According to a new American study, cardiorespiratory fitness can reduce the risk of cerebral vascular accident (CVA) by 40%. And this is true of both women and men, regardless of any other risk factors.
To reach this conclusion, Dr Steven Hooker’s team in South Carolina analysed the medical records of more than 60,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and … 100. All had taken part in an extensive, 30-year study known as the Aerobic Center Longitudinal Study. Cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, arterial hypertension and body mass index … all these risk factors were reviewed.
It appears that “cardiorespiratory fitness affords genuine protection against the risk of CVA. Those who were more active (spending 30 minutes taking rapid exercise on a running machine 5 times a week – editor’s note) showed a 40% benefit compared with sedentary individuals”, explains Dr Hooker. Better still, “this benefit does not diminish in the presence of other risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and obesity”. Of course, physical activity is already known to be a major element in the prevention of cardiovascular problems. But this is the first time that its protective effect has been so accurately established, and with figures to support it.
Print this article
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Send to a friend
Convert to pdf
Copyright Authorization
