Being Overweight
People hear it every time: stroke is a lifestyle disease. It is largely caused by poor choices, especially regarding what they eat and how their body uses what they eat.
Being overweight and obese is a major risk factor for stroke. Based on repeated studies, an estimated 5 percent increase in the odds of stroke occurs with each extra unit in a person’s BMI or body mass index. BMI measures body fat based on a person’s height and weight. It’s a reliable fatness indicator, which may help people determine their risk for certain diseases.
Being overweight may lead to various health problems, not just stroke. It can cause high blood pressure, diabetes, heart enlargement, metabolic disorders, and sleep disturbances, among many other conditions. It is remarkable how such conditions affect blood circulation in some ways, constricting blood flow or rupturing the blood vessels. As a result, they cause additional stressors to the arteries and blood vessels, and, ultimately, a stroke.
