Strokes have tripled recently among middle-aged women in America, a frightening trend doctors blame on increasing obesity.

The increase of this crippling occurrence happened even though more women are on medicines to control their cholesterol and blood pressure, steps that are supposed to decrease the risk of stroke.

What's behind this bad news? American women's waists are almost two inches bigger than they were a decade ago and that fat corresponds with the increase in strokes.

Female's average body mass index rose from 27 to 29, and they also had higher blood sugar levels.

A stroke is most commonly related to atherosclerosis, a thickening, narrowing and hardening of the arteries supplying oxygenated blood to the brain. Atherosclerosis can occur both in arteries within the brain and in arteries leading to the brain.

Strokes do their terrible damage by preventing fresh, oxygenated blood from reaching an area of the brain, which dies from lack of oxygen. If a large portion of the brain is affected, the stroke will be severe or fatal. A smaller area of brain damage will cause a less severe stroke.

Like other lifestyle diseases, strokes would be less common if people adopted healthful lifestyle practices, including those taught by CHIP:

•    Check blood pressure regularly. High blood pressure, or hypertension, increases stroke risk by an astounding 800 percent.
•    Don't smoke. If you do smoke, stop now, not later.
•    Use much less salt, a major cause of hypertension.
•    Get to your ideal weight and stay there. Overweight promotes atherosclerosis, hypertension and most diabetes.
•    Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-fiber diet.
•    Exercise actively and regularly. Exercise helps control weight and hypertension and improves circulation.

The great news is that arterial blockages that cause strokes are reversible. Thickened, narrowed arteries open again when a very low-fat, vegetarian diet is followed, along with other health practices.

Caution:

This information is not intended to replace medical advice or treatment from personal physicians. Questions about symtoms and medications, general of specific, should be addressed to personal health care providers. Those readers taking prescription medications should consult with their physicians and not take themselves off these drugs without medical supervision.