Exercise Helps to Lower Women’s Stroke Risk

Exercising on a regular basis is associated with a broad range of health-improving benefits. Sophia Wang, from the Beckman Research Institute at the City of Hope (California, USA), and colleagues analyzed information from the 133,479 women in the California Teachers Study to see how many suffered a stroke between 1996 and 2010. Those who reported doing moderate physical activity in the three years before enrolling in the study were 20% less likely than women who reported no activity to suffer a stroke.  The lead author comments that:  “I was surprised that moderate physical activity was most strongly associated with a reduced risk of stroke.  More strenuous activity such as running didn't further reduce women's stroke risk. Moderate activity, such as brisk walking appeared to be ideal in this scenario.”