43% lower risk of stroke
Stroke is a disease caused by abnormalities in the blood vessels of the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the brain is blocked or ruptured. Risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, smoking, heart disease, hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes, excessive drinking, and drugs. If these factors are well managed or treated, the risk of stroke can be reduced.
Studies have shown that women who walk more than three hours a week have a significantly lower risk of stroke than women who do not. Researchers at the Mercia Regional Health Agency in Spain followed over 33,000 people who responded to a physical activity questionnaire in the mid-1990s for 12 years. During this period, 442 people had a stroke.
When they were analyzed separately by gender, exercise type, and exercise time per week, characteristics unique to women were revealed. Women who regularly walked at a brisk pace for more than 210 minutes per week (average 30 minutes per day) had a 43% lower risk of stroke compared to women who did not.
The risk was also lower compared to those who did vigorous exercise, such as cycling, for a shorter period of time. There was no such effect in men. In men, the type or frequency of exercise was not found to be associated with stroke risk.
Regarding this difference, the researchers estimated that “it may have been that male respondents were healthier than females in the first place.” Most of the respondents were blood donors, and therefore, there was a characteristic that they were generally healthy. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least 150 minutes of exercise per week, such as brisk walking.
The results of this study (Physical Activity and Risk of Cerebrovascular Disease in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition-Spain Study) were published in the medical journal ‘Stroke’.