Stroke is a very common condition in Ireland . Each year, thousands of people in Ireland suffer a stroke. While a stroke is often fatal, of those who do survive, about half will have some type of permanent disability. This article describes some of the dietary measures that can be taken to reduce the chances of stroke occurring – or recurring if you've already suffered one.

What is a stroke?

A stroke, sometimes called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is the death of brain tissue, either due to a bleed or a blockage in the blood vessels of the brain. Brain tissue death also causes the release of products that can cause the brain to swell, pushing it against the skull, causing even more damage.

The level and duration of disability caused will depend on the level of damage that occurs with brain death and can vary from slight memory loss to paralysis – and often death.

Who is at risk of stroke?

The risk of stroke is increases with age (over 55 years is higher risk) and is higher for people of African or Asian origin. Other risk factors include:

• Smoking
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Being overweight
• Excessive alcohol intake

Can what I eat affect my risk of stroke?

Most of the risk factors listed can be reduced through changes in your diet. Maintaining a healthy weight and eating healthy, enjoyable food can reduce your risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Many people find that while strict diets help with weight loss in the short term, the key to a healthy weight in the long term is healthy regular eating. If you are overweight have a look at our diet section for specific information on weight loss.

Eating regular, satisfying meals with plenty of fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables is the first place to start. Make sure that you include at least five portions of fruit and vegetables in your diet every day. Although it may sound like a lot, simply having a glass of fruit juice and a piece of fruit with breakfast, a serving of salad vegetables at lunch and a couple of servings of vegetables at dinner time will bring you up to the “five-a-day” quota effortlessly and easily!

Eat plenty of fibre-rich energy foods such as wholemeal bread, whole cereals, wholegrain breakfast cereals, baked potatoes and brown rice will help you to feel full up and will reduce your fat intake, helping to control weight and cholesterol!

Saturated fat is the fat that can increase cholesterol levels and is found in products such as buns, cakes, chocolate, crisps, takeaway food, butter and fatty meat. Choose low fat products (e.g. low fat milk, cheese and yoghurt) and low fat cuts of meat. Use more fresh fish and chicken and limit meat intake to about three days a week. Some fats (olive and rapeseed oil, oily fish) – although just as high in calories as saturated fat products – can help improve your cholesterol profile. There is also some evidence that plant stanol esters (added to some margarines and dairy products – read the labels) can help reduce cholesterol.

Controlling your salt intake can help reduce blood pressure which in turn can reduce the risk of stroke. Avoid adding salt to food and limit your intake of processed and ready prepared foods such as crisps, frozen ‘prepared' foods, packet soup.

Diet alone may reduce your risk of stroke! A study carried out with nearly 80,000 women at the Harvard Medical School of Public Health showed that women who ate oily fish (e.g. herring, mackerel, sardines, trout and salmon) five times a week reduced their risk of stroke by one third. While eating fish five times a week may sound like too much for you, replacing some of the red meat in the diet with oily fish should help to reduce your stroke risk.

Diet can affect your risk of stroke by affecting some of the risk factors for stroke (i.e. weight, blood pressure, cholesterol). Monitoring risk factors is important so make sure that you have regular check-ups with your GP. This way, you'll know if you need to work on your diet and risk factors!
Finally, any dietary changes you make will be easier to maintain if you take even a small amount of exercise.

Even a 20 minute walk, three times a week can help you maintain changes you make. As lack of physical exercise is also a risk for stroke, you'll also be reducing your overall risk profile!