2008 Woodie Awards
Your Health
Working out prevents strokes, it's proven
Mary Jo Lomax
Issue date: 5/27/08 Section: Features
If you still are not convinced that physical activity is good for you, consider the results of two recent studies: one indicates that moderate exercise reduces the risk of stroke for both men and woman, and the other shows that physical activity in adolescence and young adulthood reduces the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the No. 1 cause of adult disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when the blood flow to the brain is blocked.
There are two main categories of stroke: an ischemic stroke in which a clot inside the blood vessel blocks blood flow, and a hemorrhagic stroke where the blood vessel itself ruptures and blood leaks into the brain.
Within each category of stroke there are several specific types, depending on the location of the clot or the how the blood vessel bursts. Ischemic strokes are more common, accounting for 83 percent of all strokes.
The main risk factors for stroke are age, race, family history, gender and history of prior stroke. Stroke occurs more often in people over 55 and the risk increases as one ages.
The risk of death from stroke is higher among African Americans. Men are more likely to have a stroke, but women are more likely to die from a stroke. Family history of stroke increases one's risk, and if you have already had a stroke, you are more likely to have another one.
Researchers from the Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina followed 60,000 people for an average of 18 years and found that moderate exercise reduced the risk of stroke significantly.
Moderate exercise is defined as brisk walking or equivalent aerobic activity for 30 minutes or more 5 days a week.
The second study indicates that exercise may reduce the risk of breast cancer in women younger than 40.
While it is true that most breast cancer occurs in post-menopausal women, many young women do get breast cancer. According to the Web site, Young Survival Coalition (www.youngsurvival.org), an organization that focuses on breast cancer in younger women, "there are more than 250,000 women 40 and under in the U.S. living with breast cancer, and over 11,100 young women will be diagnosed in the next year."
Pre-menopausal breast cancer is usually more aggressive and the underlying causes are not well understood.
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis and Harvard University in Boston followed nearly 65,000 women over 6 years and found that "those who were most physically active - the equivalent of running 3.25 hours a week or walking 13 hours a week - had a 23% lower risk of developing breast cancer before menopause than those who were not."
Even moderate, regular exercise reduced the risk, but the more active a woman beginning as early as age 12, the greater the protection.
Mary Jo Lomax is a health instructor at De Anza College. She also enjoys living healthy.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the No. 1 cause of adult disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when the blood flow to the brain is blocked.
There are two main categories of stroke: an ischemic stroke in which a clot inside the blood vessel blocks blood flow, and a hemorrhagic stroke where the blood vessel itself ruptures and blood leaks into the brain.
Within each category of stroke there are several specific types, depending on the location of the clot or the how the blood vessel bursts. Ischemic strokes are more common, accounting for 83 percent of all strokes.
The main risk factors for stroke are age, race, family history, gender and history of prior stroke. Stroke occurs more often in people over 55 and the risk increases as one ages.
The risk of death from stroke is higher among African Americans. Men are more likely to have a stroke, but women are more likely to die from a stroke. Family history of stroke increases one's risk, and if you have already had a stroke, you are more likely to have another one.
Researchers from the Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina followed 60,000 people for an average of 18 years and found that moderate exercise reduced the risk of stroke significantly.
Moderate exercise is defined as brisk walking or equivalent aerobic activity for 30 minutes or more 5 days a week.
The second study indicates that exercise may reduce the risk of breast cancer in women younger than 40.
While it is true that most breast cancer occurs in post-menopausal women, many young women do get breast cancer. According to the Web site, Young Survival Coalition (www.youngsurvival.org), an organization that focuses on breast cancer in younger women, "there are more than 250,000 women 40 and under in the U.S. living with breast cancer, and over 11,100 young women will be diagnosed in the next year."
Pre-menopausal breast cancer is usually more aggressive and the underlying causes are not well understood.
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis and Harvard University in Boston followed nearly 65,000 women over 6 years and found that "those who were most physically active - the equivalent of running 3.25 hours a week or walking 13 hours a week - had a 23% lower risk of developing breast cancer before menopause than those who were not."
Even moderate, regular exercise reduced the risk, but the more active a woman beginning as early as age 12, the greater the protection.
Mary Jo Lomax is a health instructor at De Anza College. She also enjoys living healthy.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Steve
posted 5/29/08 @ 3:54 PM PST
This information should awaken people to the necessity of moving their bodies throughout the day. Exercise does not need to be difficult or sweat inducing to be effective. (Continued…)
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