YES--The vast majority of them don't need to happen!!
According to the American Heart Association (i), up to 80% of strokes can be prevented through healthy lifestyle changes. Here’s another sobering fact: strokes can—and do—occur at any age. In 2014, almost 40% of people hospitalized for stroke were less than 65 years old (ii). A friend of an OlivinoLife team member recently had a stroke in her living room. She was 36.
But let me reiterate the positive news. Strokes can be prevented. Before I talk about that, however, here is the MOST important point: Act FAST!
We should all know the warning signs and symptoms of stroke so that we can quickly determine if we or someone we know might be having one. Survival chances are greater when emergency treatment begins as quickly as possible. In a 2005 survey, although 93% of respondents recognized sudden numbness on one side as a symptom of stroke, only 38% were aware of all major symptoms and knew to call 911 when someone was having one (iii). Knowing the F.A.S.T. Facts about Stroke (iv) could save your life or the life of someone you care about.
Stroke F.A.S.T. Facts:
- Face Drooping
- Arm Weakness
- Speech Difficulties
- Time (to call 911)
The American Heart Association recommends 5 critical ways (i) to prevent stroke. The four below (for those of us over age 50) are the most important:
- Quit smoking. For every 5 cigarettes a person smokes a day, the risk of having a stroke increases by 12% (v). For Black adults, smoking more than doubles stroke risk (vi).
- Be active. Adults who are more active have a 25%-30% lower risk of stroke (vii).
- Control your Blood Pressure (BP). More than 50% of men and 43% of women in the U.S. have BP levels that are too high (viii). A normal BP is 120/80 mm Hg or LESS. A high BP adds to your heart’s workload and damages your arteries and organs over time.
- Eat healthier. Dr. David Spence (ix), Director of the Stroke Prevention & Atherosclerosis Research Centre at Western University, recently stated, “…of the factors that increase the risk of stroke, the worst is diet: only ~0.1% of Americans consume a healthy diet, and only 8.3% consume a somewhat healthy diet.”
Following a Mediterranean Diet Reduces Stroke Risk
Overwhelming research shows that following a Mediterranean diet reduces stroke risk. A 2013 reviewof 22 studies showed that high adherence to a Mediterranean diet reduced risk of a stroke by almost 30%. A 2019 review of 25 studies similarly concluded, “A high adherence to the Mediterranean diet is inversely associated with stroke risk, and can modify the costs of its management, therefore the prevention policies should implement adherence to this healthy diet.”
Get the Fruits of the Mediterranean Diet with Olivino
If you are not consuming a Mediterranean Diet every day…and most of us don’t…enjoy the benefits of the world’s healthiest diet by supplementing daily with Olivino. Olivino is 100% plant-based, vegan, and science-based. The ingredients in Olivino have been shown in human clinical intervention trials to maintain healthy blood pressure, one of the major risk factors for stroke.
i. 5 critical steps to help prevent a stroke | American Heart Association
ii. https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm
iii. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5718a2.htm
iv. Recognizing stroke f.a.s.t.: Face Arms Speech Time
v. The relationship between smoking and stroke - PMC (nih.gov)
vi. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.119.014990
vii. Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Stroke | Stroke (ahajournals.org)
viii. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000950
ix. Nutrition and Risk of Stroke - PubMed (nih.gov)