Unhealthy lifestyle 'more than doubles' stroke risk

Leading an unhealthy lifestyle more than doubles the risk of stroke, experts warned today following a study on more 20,000 people.

Researchers found that people who drank too much alcohol, ate too few fruit and vegetables, took little exercise and smoked were far more likely to suffer a stroke.

Men and women aged 40 to 79 with no known history of stroke were recruited for the study, carried out in Norfolk.

Between 1993 and 1997, they completed a detailed health and lifestyle questionnaire and underwent a thorough health examination by trained nurses.

They were then followed for about 11 years to assess their chances of developing a stroke.

People were regarded as having unhealthy behaviours if they smoked, were inactive, drank too much and ate few fruit and vegetables.

Meanwhile, people displayed healthy behaviours if they were non-smokers, were active, had a moderate alcohol intake (one to 14 units per week) and ate at least five servings of fruit and veg each day.

Overall, there were 599 strokes during the study period.

The results were analysed and adjusted for factors that might influence the results, such as age, sex, body mass index, blood pressure and social class.

The remaining data showed that people who smoked, drank a lot, ate little fruit and veg and took no exercise were more than twice as likely to develop stroke compared with people who were non-smokers, took exercise, had moderate alcohol intake and ate at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

The study found that the more unhealthy behaviours a person had in their life, the greater their chance of developing a stroke.

For example, people with two unhealthy behaviours were 58% more likely to have a stroke compared with those who had none, while those with three unhealthy behaviours were more than twice as likely to have a stroke.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, the authors, from the University of East Anglia, said people could change their lifestyles to reduce their risk.

They said: "Modifiable lifestyle behaviours including not smoking, physically not inactive, moderate consumption of alcohol (one to 14 units a week), and eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day are associated with a substantially lower risk of subsequent stroke."

The estimated annual cost of caring for stroke sufferers is about £7 billion in the UK.
Joanne Murphy, from The Stroke Association, said: "With levels of obesity reaching epidemic levels across the country these are worrying findings.

"A stroke is a brain attack - it happens when the blood supply is cut to the brain, it causes brain cells to die and results in brain damage.

"It's the third biggest killer and if it doesn't kill it can leave you severely disabled.

"However, even small changes to our lifestyle factors such as an improved diet, drinking alcohol in moderation, not smoking and being active can reduce your risk of stroke."

Strokes, which are bleeds or clots in the brain, are the UK's third biggest killer after heart disease and cancer.

Around 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke every year and more than 67,000 die from them.

A total of 20,000 people also have a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) - sometimes called "minor stroke" - in England every year.

Around 300,000 people in the UK live with moderate to severe disabilities caused by a stroke.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Obesity is the biggest health challenge we face and many people simply don't know that being overweight can lead to major health problems.

"The UK is leading the world when it comes to facing up to the problem and tackling obesity.

"We are aiming to change the way we all live our lives through Change4Life. This movement will help us all to change the way we eat, the way we exercise and the way we raise our children so we can prevent obesity and related diseases."