If you weren’t alarmed before, you may well be after reading this post. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveals that stroke deaths have increased sharply since the turn of the Millennium. I see poor diet as an overarching factor…
High Blood Pressure: One of the most-easily detectable
indicators that a stroke may be in your future…
A shocking increase
According to the study, the incidence of fatal strokes among Americans aged 45 to 64 increased by 19 percent overall between 2002 and the beginning of 2023.
If that wasn’t shocking enough, the lion’s share of the increase came over the second half of the study period. Indicating an acceleration of the process….
Three causal factors
The CDC says the increase can be attributed to 3 central causes: an increase in stroke risk factors, and failing to recognise stroke symptoms, and missing doctor appointments.
Missing doctor’s appointments -according to my family physician – is a particularly dangerous thing to do. ‘Hidden’ stroke or cardiovascular disease indications often show up first in routine lab test and check-up procedures. After they do appear, it’s even more important to see your doctor regularly to keep tabs on the situation. And decide together on any changes in meds or other treatments that might be indicated.
I’ve always thought of stroke in the terms the Heart and Stroke Association uses. They call stroke ‘the silent killer’. If you don’t see your doctor regularly, you may not exhibit outward signs that a stroke is brewing.
The diet factor
The third causal factor for stroke – placed at the top of the CDC’s list – is described collectively as ‘stroke factors’.
These include: obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure high cholesterol, poor lifestyle habits (such as alcohol and tobacco use), unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.
Those all go hand-in-hand, according to the blizzard of new research reports we’ve seen over the past decade. And they all have one thing in common: that unhealthy diet.
Web of toxic alliances
Poor diet leads to factors such as high cholesterol and obesity. Obesity is exacerbated by lack of physical activity, and leads to diabetes. High cholesterol leads to high blood pressure. Alcohol and tobacco use (especially when extreme) contribute directly to a variety of cardio-pulmonary afflictions.
Which is just another way of saying, “courting a heart attack or stroke.”
A common underlying cause
Diet, in my view at least, is definitely the single most important visible cause of the shocking increase in strokes over the past 2 decades. But there’s an even bigger influence casting it’s stealthy shadow over the whole issue. As it often is with complex matters, that influence is human nature.
I can’t believe some folks avoid doctor visits because they prefer not to know of something’s wrong. They’re ashamed that they’ll be exposed as somehow ‘flawed’. That’s just nuts. Other folks say, “I feel fine. No need to see the doc.” And that’s especially dangerous in relation to stroke, which broadcasts few warning signs.
But the most important factor in heading off future infirmities of all sorts is diet. We’re hard-wired to crave the worst possible stuff available for us to eat: salt, fat and sugar (and to a slightly lesser ext-ent, alcohol). Couple that with the human predisposition to err on the side of convenience when choosing foods and dining out. And you have a recipe for disaster.
Look no further…
… Than Canada’s Food Guide or the US MyPlate guide for dietary best practices and advice on healthy food choices.
And don’t just make a commitment to eat better and exercise more. Do it!
~ Maggie J.