Who says there is no equality? Women have now surpassed men in the likelihood of suffering a stroke. Women nowadays are heftier than their mothers and grandmothers. Now leading men by 2:1 ratio in the likelihood of getting a stroke in middle age. Scarey stuff.
Strokes triple among middle-aged women in U.S.: study Last Updated: Thursday, February 21, 2008 | 9:41 AM ET The Associated Press
Strokes have tripled in recent years among middle-aged women in the U.S., an alarming trend doctors blame on the obesity epidemic.
In a "pre-stroke population" of middle-age women, a tripling of cases is "an alarming increase," said Dr. Ralph Sacco, neurology chief at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
The new research means "we need to redefine our textbooks about stroke in women," because they may now be more at risk in middle-age than men, said Dr. Philip Gorelick, neurology chief at the University of Illinois in Chicago and chairman of the stroke conference. [/url]
She saw that the stroke rate had spiked in middle-aged women but stayed about the same — around one per cent — in middle-aged men. So they looked deeper at the responses to see if they could learn why. Belly fat to blame: researcher
The portion of women with abdominal obesity rose from 47 per cent in the earlier survey to 59 per cent in the recent one. The change in men was smaller, and previous studies have shown that "abdominal obesity is a stronger risk factor for women than men," she said.
Women's waistlines are nearly five centimetres or two inches bigger than they were a decade earlier, and that bulge corresponds with the increase in strokes, researchers said.
In addition, women's average body mass index, a commonly used measure of obesity, rose from 27 in the earlier survey to 29. They also had higher blood sugar levels.
No other traditional risk factors like smoking, heart disease or diabetes changed enough between the two surveys to account for the increase in strokes.
Strokes triple among middle-aged women in U.S.: study Last Updated: Thursday, February 21, 2008 | 9:41 AM ET The Associated Press
Strokes have tripled in recent years among middle-aged women in the U.S., an alarming trend doctors blame on the obesity epidemic.
In a "pre-stroke population" of middle-age women, a tripling of cases is "an alarming increase," said Dr. Ralph Sacco, neurology chief at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
The new research means "we need to redefine our textbooks about stroke in women," because they may now be more at risk in middle-age than men, said Dr. Philip Gorelick, neurology chief at the University of Illinois in Chicago and chairman of the stroke conference. [/url]
She saw that the stroke rate had spiked in middle-aged women but stayed about the same — around one per cent — in middle-aged men. So they looked deeper at the responses to see if they could learn why. Belly fat to blame: researcher
The portion of women with abdominal obesity rose from 47 per cent in the earlier survey to 59 per cent in the recent one. The change in men was smaller, and previous studies have shown that "abdominal obesity is a stronger risk factor for women than men," she said.
Women's waistlines are nearly five centimetres or two inches bigger than they were a decade earlier, and that bulge corresponds with the increase in strokes, researchers said.
In addition, women's average body mass index, a commonly used measure of obesity, rose from 27 in the earlier survey to 29. They also had higher blood sugar levels.
No other traditional risk factors like smoking, heart disease or diabetes changed enough between the two surveys to account for the increase in strokes.
Last edited by:
cerveloguy: Feb 22, 08 5:26