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(Best Syndication) People with good physical function over the age of 40 are at a reduced risk for stroke, according to researchers in the United Kingdom. They evaluated 13,615 participants between the ages of 40 and 79 who had not had a heart attack, stroke or cancer.

The study included men and women from 1993 through 1997. Eighteen months later the study participants were asked to “self report” on their physical function. The tests included climbing stairs, carrying groceries, kneeling, bending and lift. From this data they determined that those who were the most physically fit had a lower risk for stroke.

They found that those in the top quartile on the physical function test had a 50-percent lower risk of stroke than those with the lowest test scores. They accounted for age, gender, body mass index, high blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, physical activity, social class, alcohol consumption and respiratory function.

The researchers say the more physically able the participant, the less likely they would have a stroke. For every 10 point increase in function men had a reduced risk of 19 percent and women had a 29 percent reduction.

“This physical function test may identify apparently healthy men and women at an increased risk of stroke who may benefit the most from preventative treatments,” says the study author Phyo Kyaw Myint, MRCP.

So is there anything a person can do to reduce their stroke risk? Myint says chronic inflammation might be an underlying health problem. Eating fruits and vegetables has been associated with better physical function, so this may reduce stroke risk.

The research is published in the December 11 issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. See what others are saying and join the discussion at our Forum

By Dan Wilson
Best Syndicataion News Writer