Two leading stroke specialists reveal the everyday choices that quietly raise stroke risk and why most strokes are preventable

Stroke rarely announces itself in advance. The conditions that set the stage, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, tend to hum along quietly for years, causing no pain and few clues until the damage is done.

That silence is what makes stroke one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, according to the American Stroke Association. Yet the outlook is far from hopeless. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly 80% of strokes could be prevented through changes in daily habits.

Dr. Anthony Kim, a vascular neurologist who leads the University of California, San Francisco Stroke Center, said he approaches stroke proactively, focusing on what he can do to prevent one. He and Dr. Arthur Wang, director of endovascular neurosurgery at Tulane University School of Medicine, shared the seven habits they steer clear of in their own lives.

The couch is costing you

Wang lists a sedentary lifestyle as one of the stroke risk factors people can actually change. That generally means too many hours sitting or lying down and too few spent moving.

Regular physical activity, Wang said, helps keep blood vessels clear by preventing plaque from building up in the arteries. His general recommendation is about 30 minutes of moderate exercise roughly five days a week. A brisk walk, a bike ride, an afternoon in the garden or a group fitness class all count.

The silent number that matters most

Kim said many of the habits that protect the heart also protect the brain, but one factor stands above the rest: blood pressure.

High blood pressure is the single biggest modifiable risk factor for stroke, Kim said. If it could somehow be erased from the American population overnight, he estimated, the country would see 60% fewer strokes. Doctors call it a silent killer because many people feel perfectly fine while it does its damage, which is why it must be checked, monitored and treated.

Skipping checkups is a gamble

Because these risk factors usually produce no symptoms, Wang said, patients often have no idea their blood pressure or cholesterol is climbing unless they are routinely screened. That makes regular visits to a primary care doctor essential. Those appointments can flag high cholesterol and blood pressure while also tracking blood sugar and weight.

A doctor can also help weigh the risks no one can change. Strokes are more common among women and Black Americans, Wang noted, and a personal history of stroke, or a parent who had one, raises the odds of a future stroke considerably. For families who have already watched a loved one go through it, staying on top of screenings is not optional.

Cigarettes, cocktails and the salt shaker

Both doctors put smoking near the top of their avoid list. Kim explained that smoking narrows blood vessels over time, which can eventually block blood flow to part of the brain. That blockage is essentially what a stroke is.

Kim also pointed to a link between excessive drinking and a higher risk of both heart disease and stroke. The CDC defines binge drinking as four or more drinks on one occasion for women and five or more for men, and heavy drinking as eight or more drinks a week for women and 15 or more for men. As a general rule, Kim said, women should stop at one drink a day and men at two.

Wang advised cutting back on foods heavy in saturated fat, sugar and salt, and Kim noted that salt in particular is tied to high blood pressure. For a simple guiding principle, Kim pointed to journalist Michael Pollan’s well-known advice: stick to real food, lean mostly on plants and keep portions in check. In practice, that means plates built around fruits and vegetables, with meat playing a supporting role.

Know the stroke signs before you need them

The final habit to break is brushing off symptoms. Stroke treatments work best when they start quickly, Kim said, and since many strokes cause no pain and symptoms vary widely, recognizing the warning signs is critical.

The American Stroke Association’s FAST acronym helps: face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty and time to call 911. Kim cautioned that it does not cover every symptom, but any one of these signs, especially if it appears suddenly, should raise suspicion of a stroke.

When it comes to stroke, every minute counts.

Source: HuffPost