Walks reduces the severity of the stroke, especially in the elderly

News24xx.com - Scientists have shown that light and moderate physical activity reduces the severity of the stroke. It's not about exhausting workouts: even ordinary walks in the fresh air can prolong a person's life.

Walking helps reduce level of blood sugar and also improve brain function in the elderly. Specialists from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden have found that people who walk at least 4 hours a week or go swimming 2-3 hours a week are less likely to have a stroke and its consequences than those who have a sedentary lifestyle.

During the work, the team reviewed the official medical data of 925 people, whose average age is 73 years. All patients suffered a stroke.

Stroke is the main cause of serious disability, so scientists analyzed the information, based on symptoms such as impaired mobility of hands and face, the level of cognitive abilities, speech skills, movement of eyeballs.

Those people who walked at least 4 hours a week were taken to a group with mild physical activity. And volunteers who were engaged about 2-3 hours a week, have got to group with moderate activity. At the same time, 52% of all participants stated that they led a "physically inactive" way of life.

When the researchers compared the data, it turned out that in people with mild and moderate physical activity, the frequency of "average severity" strokes (the consequences of which is easier to undergo) was twice as high. In these groups, the stroke of "average severity" was 85% and 89% of patients. And patients who led a sedentary lifestyle more often had more "severe" strokes, the consequences of which were much more serious.

Also, experts took into account other risk factors: the presence of bad habits, diabetes and hypertension, a previous myocardial infarction...

Obviously, exercise exerts a beneficial effect on the brain and triggers protective mechanisms.      The authors of the study believe, that medical workers should inform patients that a sedentary lifestyle is a serious risk factor for a "severe" stroke.