A study of Third Agers finds if you have "thick blood" you might be at higher risk for a stroke. Appearing in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, the study finds that thick blood tends to form unwanted blood clots that can block blood flow to the brain or heart, causing a heart attack or stroke.
The nine-year Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study includes 14,700 adults ages 45 to 64 who did not have any cardiovascular disease when the research began. Researchers say that during the study, which looked at blood clotting factors that lead to thick blood, 94 men and 97 women suffered ischemic strokes.
Dr. Aaron Folsom, of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, says while researchers have linked increases in these blood clotting factors to heart disease, this study is the first that "modestly supports the hypothesis" that they can be used to identify middle age adults at increased risk of stroke. The study says blood coagulation factors may not just be a "marker" of risk, but could trigger a stroke by increasing the risk of a blood clot in the arteries that serve the brain.
Researchers say the clotting factors can be caused by other links to heart disease and stroke, such as diabetes and smoking. Their best advice is to maintain a healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise to reduce your chances of illness. Garlic is one natural food shown to be a blood-thinner.
Check our ThirdAge Healthy Heart Index.
