Walking away stroke risk

Brisk walking reduces stroke risk

The findings are based on a study of the exercising habits of 39,315 female health professionals whose average age was 54. It found that:

* Women who walked at a pace of 3 miles per hour or faster had a 37% lower risk of suffering any type of stroke.
* Women who walked two or more hours a week had a 30% reduced risk of any type of stroke.

“Physical activity, including regular walking, is an important modifiable behavior for stroke prevention,” Jacob R. Sattelmair, MSc, of the Harvard School of Public Health, says in a news release. “Physical activity is essential to promoting cardiovascular health and reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, and walking is one way of achieving physical activity.”

(Photo from CDC)