Lifestyle greatly influences risk of stroke (UK)

Stroke risk declined in a linear fashion among men and women who adopted from one to four healthy behaviors, investigators here reported. People who did not practice any of the behaviors had more than a twofold increased risk of stroke compared with individuals who adopted all four, Phyo K. Myint, M.D., of the University of East Anglia, and colleagues reported online in the British Medical Journal. The risk-scoring system used by the investigators gave equal weighting to each of the four behaviors -- not smoking, being physically active, moderate alcohol consumption, and eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day (as indicated by vitamin C plasma concentration). "These results provide further incentive and support for the notion that small differences in lifestyle can have a substantial potential impact on risk," the authors concluded - MedPage Today