stroke remains one of the most devastating of all neurological diseases killing about five million people a year worldwide is the leading cause of permanent disability in the United States but the good news is that about 80% of stroke risk may be due to basic lifestyle factors primarily improving your diet stopping smoking and getting regular exercise the best way to stop smoking evidently is to have a heart attack if you die you automatically stop smoking unless you're incinerated I guess and if you live repeated strong advice from your doctor may persuade up to two-thirds to quit never smoke again in any form as long as you live yes it's very addictive yes it's very difficult it doesn't matter it has to be done if you're walking along the lakeshore one of your grandchildren is drowning it's not a matter of willpower it just has to be done it's like a healthy diet some things just have to be done getting up at night to feed a baby can be difficult too but it's not a matter of willpower some things in life just have to be done for stroke prevention that means a more plant-based diet like a traditional Mediterranean diet centered around whole grains fruits vegetables lentils beans and nuts a vegetarian or vegan diet may also work but must be accompanied by a regular reliable source of vitamin b12 meaning b12 fortified foods or supplements unfortunately recommending taking b12 supplements may meet opposition among vegetarians because misconceptions regarding this nutrient are prevalent many individuals still hold onto the old myth that deficiency this vitamin is rare and only occurs in a small proportion of vegans future studies with vegetarians should focus on identifying ways of convincing vegetarians to routinely take vitamin b12 supplements in order to prevent a deficiency the research is clear on that now we just need research how we can convince vegetarians to actually take their b12 to prevent a deficiency what is it about plant-based diets previously I talked about the role of fiber potentially a 1 percent drop in risk for every one gram of fiber per day or maybe even a tad more 12 percent drop associated with every extra 10 grams a day in fact fiber from like whole grains associated with not only lower chance of dying from heart attack and stroke but also cancer and diabetes and respiratory diseases in lower risk of dying even from infections or other causes in other words lower risk of dying prematurely from all causes put together why perhaps because the anti-inflammatory effects of fiber which could explain how it could help across the board or maybe there eating fewer pro-inflammatory foods those who eat more whole plant foods where fibers found may be eating less processed and animal foods in fact a study immediately preceding this one this meta-analysis of fiber was a meta-analysis on meat they looked at red meat and processed meat found but a 10% increased risk of stroke associated with these three and a half ounce daily portion so that's like about the size of a deck of playing cards or about 10 percent increased risk for every half deck of processed meat perhaps it's because of the heme iron the blood and muscle iron in meat perhaps because of its Pro oxidative properties whereas no association was found between non heme iron and stroke the type of iron the predominates in plants or perhaps is because of some of the toxic pollutants like PCBs that can build up an animal fat we've known that like living next to a toxic waste dump might increase stroke risk but only recently have we realized that dietary exposure even its so-called safe levels may increase stroke risk as much as 8 or 9 times the odds of stroke for those with the highest levels of these pollutants in their bloodstream you you
