5 ways to lower your stroke risk now
About 80 percent of strokes may be prevented by making healthy lifestyle changes.
Jan, 2026
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Slide 1
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or there is bleeding in the brain. Without much warning, it can gravely affect your ability to move, talk, and think. In the United States, stroke kills one person every 3 minutes and 11 seconds.
Yet, roughly 80 percent of strokes are preventable, according to the American Heart Association. And while you can’t change contributing factors such as your age, sex, or family history, there are important steps you can take to protect yourself. Here are five ways to start today.
Written byTaylor Dahl.
Medically reviewed byMegan Burke, MD.
Sources: Williamson + 12
- Williamson, Laura. 5 critical steps to help prevent a stroke. American Heart Association. May 5, 2021.
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What Is a Stroke? May 26, 2023.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stroke Facts. October 24, 2024.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stroke: Preventing Stroke. May 15, 2024.
- Hooker SP, Diaz KM, Blair SN, Colabianchi N, et al. Association of Accelerometer-Measured Sedentary Time and Physical Activity With Risk of Stroke Among US Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Jun 1;5(6):e2215385.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What Counts as Physical Activity for Adults. December 6, 2023.
- American Heart Association. Sleep Apnea and Heart Health. June 26, 2023.
- American Heart Association. What goes into a Mediterranean diet, and how to get started. August 23, 2022.
- Laffond A, Rivera-Picón C, Rodríguez-Muñoz PM, Juárez-Vela R, et al. Mediterranean Diet for Primary and Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality: An Updated Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2023 Jul 28;15(15):3356.
- Lakkur S, Judd SE. Diet and Stroke: Recent Evidence Supporting a Mediterranean-Style Diet and Food in the Primary Prevention of Stroke. Stroke. 2015 Jul;46(7):2007-11.
- World Health Organization. Long working hours increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke: WHO, ILO. May 17, 2021.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How Right Now: Stress. April 10, 2024.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stroke: Signs and Symptoms of Stroke. October 24, 2024.
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