Sweating Against Stroke Risk

When it comes to battling against stroke, sweat, sweat, sweat is the rule, researchers say.

Writing in the medical journal Stroke, scientists at Harvard and Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital say men who exercise vigorously at least once a week can cut their stroke risk by 21 percent.

Researchers studying more than 21,800 male doctors in the Physicans' Health Study over 11 years also say there was no apparent benefit in cutting the risk of stroke by using vigorous exercise more than once weekly. They described vigorous exercise as strenuous enough for the individual to break out in a sweat.

Physicians in the study range from 40 to 84 years of age. Vigorous exercise seems to be beneficial by affecting such risk factors as blood pressure and serum cholesterol, the researchers say.