6 Stroke Signs Not to Ignore
Many people feel an immediate surge of fear when they’re told they have high blood pressure, and their thoughts often jump straight to the worst-case scenarios: Am I going to have a stroke? Am I at risk for a heart attack? That concern is understandable—blood pressure is closely linked to cardiovascular health—but fear can also cause people to either panic or tune out important warning signs. Understanding what the body may be signaling, especially when it comes to stroke symptoms, can be empowering and even life-saving.
Knowing the signs of stroke is crucial, as prompt treatment is necessary to help reduce the damage that can be caused by sudden interruption of the brain’s blood supply. Be aware of these classic stroke symptoms and if you notice any be very aware of the exact time they first begin:
Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes
Weakness or numbness on one side of the body, including the face
Difficulty speaking
Sudden disorientation, confusion or memory loss
Dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination
Severe headache that comes on suddenly with no apparent cause
The American Stroke Association suggests that anyone can identify a person having a stroke by checking for the signs of facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems. As a bystander, you can help to determine if someone is having a stroke by asking them to perform three simple actions:
Ask the person to smile, look for an even smile from both sides of the mouth
Ask the person to raise both arms above his or her head
Ask the person to speak a simple sentence
If the person has any problems completing any of these steps, be sure to document the exact time of onset and call 911 immediately. Knowing the time a stroke starts is key to determine the best treatment at the point of care.
(read more below on foods that can help prevent strokes)
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New research has identified foods that are linked to a lower risk of stroke
A study from the UK that investigated dietary habits among 418,329 people in nine European countries determined which foods were linked to lower risks of both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Most strokes are ischemic, occurring when the blood supply is cut off to part of the brain due to atherosclerosis or a clot. Hemorrhagic strokes are less common, constituting about 15 percent of all strokes. These are caused by a ruptured blood vessel, interrupting normal blood flow.
The new research found that higher intakes of fiber from fruit, vegetables, cereal, legumes, nuts and seeds were linked to a lower risk of ischemic stroke but not to a lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Every additional 10 grams (about 0.35 ounces) of fiber consumed daily was associated with a 23 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke. Greater consumption of eggs was linked to a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke; for every extra 20 grams of eggs eaten daily, the risk of hemorrhagic stroke increased by 25 percent. (An average, large egg weighs about 60 grams, a little more than two ounces.)
On the bright side, they also found that 200 grams (a little more than seven ounces) of fruit and vegetables eaten daily was associated with a 13 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke. No foods were linked to a statistically significant higher risk of ischemic strokes.
Study participants provided information about their diets, lifestyle, medical history, and socio-demographic factors by completing questionnaires. The researchers then followed the participants for an average of 12.7 years. During that time, 4,281 suffered ischemic strokes and 1,430 had hemorrhagic strokes.
Study first author Tammy Tong, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, wrote that the most important finding was the strong association of higher consumption of both dietary fiber and fruit and vegetables with lower risk of ischemic stroke.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds, and every four minutes someone in this country dies from a stroke. That adds up to 795,000 strokes per year and 140,000 stroke deaths. The leading risk factors are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and diabetes. The CDC reports that one in three U.S. adults has at least one of these health problems.
The new research from the UK on foods and stroke risk is not surprising. I think you’ll find that you can meet the goals it sets by following my Core Four BP friendly way of eating.
Serene Ascha
Source:
Tammy Y.N. Tong et al, “The associations of major foods and fibre with risks of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke: a prospective study of 418 329 participants in the EPIC cohort across nine European countries”. European Heart Journal, 2020; DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa007