Diet as a risk factor
Healthy food reduces the risk of stroke by 30% for people aged
Switching to a diet of healthy foods has reduced the risk of stroke by almost a third for Britons aged 40 and over compared with people aged on the classic British diet, which includes a large amount of bacon, eggs and sweet foods, doctors say in an article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Reidlinger et al., How effective are current dietary guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention in healthy middle-aged and older men and women? A randomized controlled trial, publicly available – VM).
"What we are talking about concerns elderly adults and elderly Britons who do not have serious health problems. This is important because most heart attacks and strokes occur suddenly among people who were not at risk before. We have shown that switching from the classic British diet rich in fats, salt and sugar to fruits, vegetables and fish significantly reduces these chances," explained Tom Sanders from King's College London (in a press release Healthy diet lowers risk of heart disease by a third – VM).
Sanders and his colleagues came to this conclusion as part of an experiment they conducted with the assistance of 160 residents of London who agreed to switch to healthy food recommended by UK health authorities for three months from traditional British breakfasts and dinners with lots of meat and sweets.
Scientists actively monitored whether their wards followed a diet, studying the chemical composition of their secretions, as well as observing changes in the level of cholesterol and other substances potentially dangerous to the health of the heart, brain and blood vessels. Thanks to a balanced diet, during the experiments, the volunteers managed to lose 1.3 kilograms, and the cholesterol level in their blood dropped by 8%.
The positive effect of switching to healthy food was observed not only in weight loss – arterial and renal pressure decreased by 3-4 millimeters of mercury, and heart rate – by almost two beats per minute. Both of these factors correspond to a reduction in the chance of premature death or disability as a result of a heart attack, stroke or other vascular and heart problems by about 30% for people aged 40 years or more.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru19.03.2015