Be fit in your 40s to cut stroke risk

Healthy middle age protects brain 20 years later

Fiona MacRae KEEPING fit in your 40s could cut the risk of a stroke in your 60s.

Adults in good physical shape in middle age are almost 40 per cent less likely to suffer strokes later on, research reveals.

Experts think exercise may boost blood flow to the brain, staving off the natural decay of nerve tissue.

Strokes are Britain’s fourth-biggest killer, claiming twice as many women’s lives as breast cancer and killing more men than prostate and testicular cancer combined.

It is also the main cause of severe disability and costs the NHS and wider economy almost £9billion a year.

In the latest research, US scientists analysed data on almost 20,000 men and women aged between 45 and 50 who had been put through a fitness test on a treadmill and had their health tracked until they reached at least 65.

The fittest 40 per cent in middleage were 37 per cent less likely than the least fit to suffer a stroke later on.

Writing in the journal Stroke, the researchers said the result held even when factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure were taken into account.

Study author Ambarish Pandey, of the University of Texas, said: ‘We all hear that exercise is good for you but many people still don’t do it.

‘Our hope is that this objective data on preventing fatal disease such as stroke will help motivate people to get moving and get fit.’ The NHS recommends that adults spend five days a week doing moderate exercise, such as cycling or brisk walking.

This should be strenuous enough to raise heart rate and temperature, but not so tiring that you are unable to talk.

Men and women aged between 19 and 64 should also fit in at least two sessions of weights, yoga or other strengthening exercises a week.

However, most adults in England are failing to meet such exercise guidelines.

One study found that one in 12 had not walked continuously for five minutes in at least a month, even if they were without mobility problems.

Alexis Wieroniey, of the Stroke Association, said: ‘We all know that taking regular exercise is great for our health and an active lifestyle can improve our overall wellbeing.

‘We recommend that people aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five or more times a week.

‘Taking regular exercise is just one simple step people can take towards reducing their stroke risk.

‘Stopping smoking, eating a balanced diet and having regular blood pressure checks can all help people take control of their health.’

Other recent research suggests the seeds of some strokes are sown in childhood.

A Danish study, released last week at the European Obesity Summit, found that being overweight on starting secondary school raises the odds of having a stroke by an average of 55 per cent.

The Copenhagen University researchers warned that a bad diet in childhood may cause lasting damage to the delicate blood vessels in the brain.