According to a report by the American Stroke Association, growing obesity among middle-aged women has led to an increase in incidence of stroke for women between the ages 35 and 54.In a study led by Dr. Amytis Towfighi, an assistant professor of Neurology at University of Southern California Los Angeles, researchers compared data from two federal health studies: National Health and Nutrition Surveys 1988-1994 (NHANES III) and NHANES 1999-2004. It was found that in the more recent study 1.79% of women between the ages 35 and 54 suffered a stroke, compared to 0.63% in NHANES III done a decade earlier.

There were no significant differences in cardiovascular risk factors between the two groups, but women in a more recent study were found to be significantly more obese with and average BMI od 28.67 kg/m2, a nearly two point increase from a decade earlier.

Nearly 15% of women in the more recent study used some type of blood pressure-lowering medication, and 4% reported using cholesterol-lowering agents, compared with 8.9% and 1.4%, respectively in the older NHANES III study.

“Abdominal obesity is a known predictor of stroke in women and may be a key factor in the midlife stroke surge in women,” Towfighi said. “This study highlights the need to intensify efforts in curbing the obesity epidemic in the United States.”

Source: American Stroke Association