Few people know more about stroke prevention and brain health than neurologist and epidemiologist Dr. Bruce Ovbiagele. And one of the first things he’d like you to know is that you have a “tremendous” amount of control over your own stroke risk.
Most strokes are preventable, says Ovbiagele, a professor of neurology and associate dean at the University of California, San Francisco. “And what needs to be done is all within our power to do.”
Ovbiagele – who is chief of staff at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs health care system, holds professorships on four continents, serves as editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Heart Association, and has published more than 600 research articles – does a lot to protect his own brain health. But even for him, parts of doing so can be a challenge.
He discussed his routine for “The Experts Say,” an American Heart Association News series where specialists explain how they apply what they’ve learned to their own lives. (The conversation has been edited.)
What’s the most important thing someone should know about stroke?
One, what it is. Many people are not aware of what a stroke actually is, what part of the body is affected, and how devastating it can be.
(A stroke occurs when a blood vessel to the brain is either blocked or ruptures, starving the brain of oxygen. Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and a top cause of disability worldwide.)
Two, that it’s preventable. It’s well within our own ability to actually prevent strokes.
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What do you tell your patients about prevention?
First of all, I encourage them to eat a healthy diet. A diet that is well-aligned with the Mediterranean diet – that is, a diet that has fruits, nuts and vegetables and judicious use of olive oil – has been shown to reduce a person’s risk of experiencing a stroke.
Exercise is important because physical activity lowers blood pressure, keeps weight down and better controls the way the body can control blood sugar, or glucose. So, at the very least, moderate exercise most days of the week, for about 30 minutes each time, can be helpful in reducing the risk of stroke.
Trying to avoid stress to every extent possible can be helpful. Complying with your doctor’s recommendations is also very, very important.
The last thing I’d say is making sure that one is aware of one’s numbers. And by numbers, I mean making sure that one goes for