Walking seems to lower women`s stroke risk: Study

Dallas: Women can lower their stroke risk by lacing up their sneakers and walking, a new study suggests.

Women who said they walked briskly had a 37 per cent lower risk of stroke than those who didn`t walk. Women who reported walking at least two hours a week at any pace had a 30 per cent lower risk, according to a study published online yesterday in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. While previous studies have shown that physical activity decreases the chances of having a stroke, the new study focused on what kind of exercise might be most beneficial for women. "This certainly speaks to walking for a certain amount of time and walking briskly as well," said Jacob Sattelmair, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Those walking at a brisk pace should be able to talk but not sing, he said. The research involved about 39,000 female health workers 45 or older enrolled in the Women`s Health Study. The women were periodically asked about their physical activity. During 12 years of follow-up, 579 had strokes. Besides walking, the study looked at vigorous activities like running, swimming and biking, but researchers didn`t find a link between those vigorous activities and a reduced stroke risk. PTI