Life’s Simple 7 and Stroke Risk

Does a high genetic risk for stroke make it inevitable? Or is it possible for lifestyle to offset that risk?

Those were the questions posed in a study just published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. 

In the study, more than 11,000 middle-aged adults were tracked for 28 years. None had ever had a stroke at the beginning of the study. 

Strokes were documented, and the lifetime risk of stroke was calculated for people on a continuum of genetic risk as well as on a continuum of the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7  recommendations:

1️⃣ Total cholesterol

2️⃣ Blood pressure

3️⃣ Blood glucose

4️⃣ Physical activity

5️⃣ Diet

6️⃣ Smoking status 

7️⃣ Body mass index

What did they find?

Across all levels of genetic risk, those with an optimal Life’s Simple 7 had an approximate 30% to 43% lower lifetime risk of stroke than those with just an adequate Life’s Simple 7. 

✨That corresponds to an additional 6 years lived free from stroke✨

What this means is that taking action to maintain optimal cardiovascular health can partially offset a genetic risk of stroke—helping you live healthier for more years. 

Pretty empowering, don’t you think? 

Reference

Thomas EA, Enduru N, Tin A et al. Polygenic Risk, Midlife Life’s Simple 7, and Lifetime Risk of Stroke. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 [link]