How (Not) to Have a Stroke

Wed, Mar 17, 2010 by Reference

Stroke affects nearly 800,000 Americans every year, often leading to death or impairment. While we have no control of some risk factors, such as genetics, scientists have found that other factors, such as diet, weight, and smoking, are well within our control.

Marital status and happiness can play a role in stroke prevention. Israeli researchers found that happily married men at midlife were much less likely to die of a stroke than single men. Other research has shown that among older individuals, positive moods and attitudes protected against strokes.