Can you outrun the stroke?

Numerous studies have shown that regular exercise can protect against heart attacks, strokes and dementia – particularly in the elderly. Now a US study has investigated how much and what type of physical activity most benefit.

The researchers want to know the extent which physical activity can reduce the risk of stroke, especially in old age. They found that it matters less on the speed, but more on the duration of the movement. So in the current study were found that walking between one and two hours per day reduces the risk of stroke in the elderly by almost a third.

The team of scientists from University investigated over a period of eleven years, 3500 subjects who were old at the start of the study between 60 and 80 years, and until then did not have cardiovascular disease. Participants need to specify how many hours per week they went on foot, how fast they ran, and what routes they doing. Other types of movement were recorded in the questionnaire. From this data, the researchers calculate the overall activity of the subjects.

In the following eleven years occurred 195 strokes in study participants on a total of. This was the overall risk of suffering a stroke, at 6.7 percent. For those who were moving almost not at all, it was slightly higher at 7.9 percent, and slightly lower on 5.6 percent among patients with physically active.

Duration of the movement critical to stroke risk.

But in this rather disappointing result, it did not remain. Because when the scientists only look at the subject which was a on foot, is highly significant differences were, even when other risk factors were eliminated. Because the active study participants who walked more than 22 hours a week , had a 65 percent lower risk of suffering from a stroke than those who walked more than three hours a week. In this case, the effect was dose-dependent. The longer the subjects were walking, the lower was their risk of stroke. But even at a half to one hour per day walking the rate of stroke was reduced by 11 percent. And entire 30 percent when the participants using their legs from one to two hours per day.

Who also still increased his pace, was able to reduce his risk of stroke even further, but although the differences were not as great here. The researchers suggest that people who are on the road a lot of walking, otherwise a healthy and active lifestyle. Presumably therefore total active life helps to reduce the risk of stroke.