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
