Saying "yes" to regular physical activity says "no" to stroke

American Heart Association
Friday, 19 September 2003

Moderate and high levels of physical activity are associated with reduced risk of stroke, according to a meta-analysis published in today's rapid access issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers know that physical activity can reduce the risk of hypertension and heart disease, which are both risk factors for stroke. But it has been unclear if physical activity can directly alter stroke risk, said lead author Chong Do Lee, Ed.D., department of sports and exercise sciences at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

Researchers pooled data from 23 international epidemiologic studies published between 1966 and 2002 to examine the overall association between physical activity and the incidence of stroke and stroke death. Some of the studies used questionnaires to rate activity level.

While the definitions of low, moderate and high activity varied widely among studies, the analysis found that, overall, moderately active people had a 20 percent lower risk and highly active individuals had a 27 percent lower risk of stroke or stroke death than low-active people. Both ischemic (due to blockage) and hemorrhagic (bleeding) strokes occurred less often in active people.

"To reduce stroke risk, public health agencies and clinicians should encourage sedentary patients to engage in regular and moderate to high-intensity physical activity," Lee said.

In an accompanying editorial, Michael Brainin, M.D., professor of neurology at Donauklinikum and Danube University in Austria, noted that the major limitation of the study is the lack of clear definitions of intensity. However, "the pooled results show unequivocally that high-level physical activity should become a global recommendation."

For more information, or to contact American Heart Association, see their website at: www.americanheart.org