Following five low-risk lifestyle factors can reduce the chance of stroke in women by half.

Researchers in Sweden studied almost 32,000 women over age 50 who filled out diet and activity questionnaires in 1997.  Ten years later, there had been 1554 strokes.

They looked at the results of incorporating into a woman’s lifestyle a healthy diet, moderate alcohol consumption, never smoking, physical activity, and a body mass index of less than 25.

The researchers found that the risk of stroke dropped with the addition of each factor, with those who lived by all five choices cutting their risk of total stroke by 54 per cent.

Lead author Susanna C. Larsson of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm says ” we were surprised about the quite substantial reduction in stroke risk among women who adhered to all five low-risk behaviours.”  She says “a healthy lifestyle would likely reduce the risk of strike for men in a similar way.”