THE FITTER people are when they reach middle age, the less likely they are to suffer a later-in-life stroke, according to US research out last month.
The findings, published in a journal of the American Heart Association, are based on a study of nearly 20,000 adults aged 45 to 50. The individuals, 79 per cent of whom were men and 90 per cent were white, were subjected to tests to measure their heart and lung exercise capacity.
They were subsequently ranked as having either a high, middle or low level of fitness. The study determined that those with the highest fitness level had a 37 per cent lower risk of suffering a stroke after the age of 65 compared to those in the lowest fitness
category.
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the US and a major cause of long-term disability. The link between physical fitness and a lower chance of having a stroke remained even after other risk factors – including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation – were considered.
“These findings support the unique and independent role of exercise in the prevention of stroke,” said senior study author Jarett Berry, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
The findings are published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.
