Jamie Foxx had a stroke at 55. A doctor shares 3 ways to help prevent them, as cases rise in younger people.
More adults under the age of 65 are having strokes, the CDC found.
The actor Jamie Foxx said he had a stroke last year.
A neurologist advised not smoking, eating healthy, and doing daily cardio to lower the risk of stroke.
Jamie Foxx said he had a stroke at the age of 55 last year, amid a trend of more younger adults experiencing the condition.
Strokes, which occur when a part of the brain doesn't have enough blood flow, are life-threatening and most common in older people. But strokes in people under 65 increased by about 15% in the US between 2011 to 2013 and 2020 to 2022, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published on May 23 found. This corresponds with a rise in cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity among working-age adults, it said.
If brain cells go too long without oxygen, they die, which can lead to permanent damage and the loss of abilities like speech or sight, according to the Cleveland Clinic. That's why acting fast and educating the public about stroke risk factors are crucial, the study said.
The fifth leading cause of death in the US in 2021, stroke also cost the country about $56.2 billion between 2019 and 2020, the CDC said.
In his Netflix comedy special, "What Had Happened Was," which premieres Tuesday, Foxx, now 56, said he was hospitalized after complaining of a bad headache and passing out while on set. He said he was unconscious for weeks and couldn't remember 20 days during that period. The stroke was caused by a brain bleed, he added.
It's unclear what contributed to Foxx's stroke.
Researchers are working to uncover what's behind the uptick in strokes among younger adults, but factors could include pollution and stress, Dr. Neshika Samarasekera, a clinical neurologist, researcher, and senior clinical lecturer at the charity Stroke Association, told Business Insider.
While stroke can affect anyone at any age, there are things you can do to lower the risk, she said.
Stop smoking
"Firstly, if you're smoking, stop," Samarasekera said.
Smokers are about three times as likely to have a stroke than nonsmokers, and twice as likely to die from a stroke, according to the Stroke Association. This is because tobacco smoke contains thousands of harmful chemicals that, when inhaled, enter the bloodstream and damage cells all around the body.
Smoking can reduce oxygen levels in the blood, increase blood pressure, trigger atrial fibrillation (a type of irregular heartbeat), raise levels of "bad" cholesterol, and increase the risk of a blood clot, the charity says. These are all known stroke risk factors.
Some risk factors, such as age and genetic disposition, are out of our control, so it's important that we try to reduce the ones we can control, Samarasekera said.
Eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day
A healthy diet can help reduce the chances of a stroke by keeping risk factors under control.
Samarasekera recommended eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, with a focus on colorful vegetables such as broccoli and carrots, which are packed with antioxidants.
Evidence suggests that inflammation plays a role in causing stroke, and "antioxidants, put simply, help to mop up that inflammation," she said. Vegetables are also nutrient-dense and contain dietary fiber.
The American Heart Association recommends limiting ultraprocessed foods, alcohol, and foods with a lot of added sugar or salt.
Get your heart rate up every day
Samarasekera said that ideally, everyone should aim to do 30 minutes of moderate exercise that gets their heart rate up each day.
"Something that does visibly increase your heart rate, be that brisk walking, be that running," she said.
Aim to up your heart rate in a "graded way," she said: "You don't want people going from zero to really pushing themselves."
Doing 30 minutes of exercise five times a week is thought to reduce the risk of stroke by 25%, according to the World Stroke Organization.
That's because it plays an important role in reducing several stroke risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol.
The AHA recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity a week.
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