This isn’t strictly a stroke-prevention post. It’s a dementia-prevention post. But Stroke‑Proof is ultimately about protecting the brain—and looking after your hearing and eyesight may be a more important part of that than most people realise. The 2024 Lancet Commission estimated that addressing 14 modifiable risk factors could potentially prevent or delay around 45% of dementia cases. Two of those factors involve our senses: 👂 Hearing loss in midlife was estimated to account for around 7% of dementia cases at population level. 👁️ Untreated vision loss in later life was estimated to account for around 2%. Why might our senses affect the health of our brain? Think about how much stimulation reaches your brain through your eyes and ears. Every conversation you follow, face you recognise, book you read and environment you navigate activates complex networks of brain cells. When hearing or vision deteriorates, several things may happen: • The brain receives less sensory stimulation. • It has to work harder to interpret incomplete information. • People may withdraw from conversations and social activities. • Reading, exercise, travel and other cognitively stimulating activities can become more difficult. • Reduced input may contribute to changes in the brain regions that process sensory information. It may therefore be partly a case of maintaining the connections that keep our brain circuits active—continuing to stimulate the wiring rather than gradually allowing those pathways to become less active. In the ACHIEVE randomised trial, treating hearing loss did not significantly slow cognitive decline across the entire study population. However, among participants already at higher risk of cognitive decline, a hearing intervention slowed cognitive decline by 48% over three years. For vision, one study of more than 3,000 older adults with cataracts found that cataract surgery was associated with a 29% lower risk of subsequently developing dementia. That cannot prove that the surgery caused the reduction, but it strengthens the case for taking treatable vision loss seriously.

Yes, we're back at blood pressure. After dozens of Stroke-Proof tips I think we've reached the point where any new tips we can come up with would be so minor in their importance that we'd be diluting the key messages. So, back to the start and the most important of all.... There are lots of things we can do to reduce our risk of stroke. But one stands above almost everything else: Getting blood pressure under control. It is not glamorous. It will not generate the same excitement as a full-body scan, a biological-age test or a new supplement. But the size of the prize is enormous. The INTERSTROKE study compared 13,447 people who had experienced a first stroke with a similar number who had not, across 32 countries. Having hypertension—or a measured blood pressure of at least 140/90 mmHg—was associated with almost three times the odds of stroke. At a population level, high blood pressure accounted for an estimated 47.9% of stroke risk. Its contribution was even greater for bleeding within the brain. The Global Burden of Disease study reached a remarkably similar conclusion using a very different method. It estimated that high systolic blood pressure contributed to around 55.5% of all healthy years lost to stroke worldwide in 2019—more than any other risk factor. These figures do not mean that lowering blood pressure would instantly prevent exactly half of all strokes. Population-attributable estimates are not the same as the benefit of an individual treatment. But they tell us something hugely important: Blood pressure sits at the centre of the stroke-prevention opportunity. Does lowering it genuinely prevent stroke? Yes. And this is not based only on association. It has been tested in large randomised trials. An individual-participant meta-analysis (combination of trials) combining around 350,000 people from 48 trials found that every 5 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure reduced the relative risk of stroke by about 13%. The greater the blood-pressure reduction, the greater the average benefit.

Good morning, just a quick reminder that we have our stroke proof community meeting today at 7:00 p.m. you can join by clicking the link in the calendar section of this app/website this is a chance for us all to catch up and talk about what we're doing to reduce our stroke risk and any challenges we have. I hope see you there!

I'm interested to share today's Stroke-Proof tip because it's an area I hadn't really thought as a risk factor before, but I know realise that it very much is! When people think about preventing stroke they think about: 🏃 Exercise 🥗 Diet 🚭 Smoking 🩸 Blood pressure 💊 Cholesterol Very few people think about their gums. Periodontal (gum) disease is a chronic inflammatory condition caused by bacteria around the teeth. Those bacteria don't always stay in your mouth. They can enter the bloodstream, increase systemic inflammation, damage blood vessels and may contribute to atherosclerosis and blood clot formation. Several large studies have found that people with periodontitis have a significantly higher risk of stroke. The latest systematic review analysed 36 studies involving more than 7.6 million people and found that periodontal disease was associated with around a 72% higher odds of stroke, with an even stronger association for ischaemic stroke. (PubMed) Fortunately... A recent systematic review found that treating periodontal disease—particularly regular professional dental scaling—was associated with a lower risk of future ischaemic stroke. (PubMed) Now, this doesn't prove that brushing your teeth prevents stroke. People with good oral hygiene often have other healthy habits too, and most of the evidence is observational. But we already know that good oral health has many benefits, and there's increasing evidence that it forms part of overall cardiovascular health. So if you're trying to become Stroke-Proof, don't stop at the gym or the kitchen. ✅ Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste ✅ Clean between your teeth every day (floss or interdental brushes) ✅ See your dentist regularly ✅ Don't ignore bleeding gums—they're common, but they're not normal. However.... Be cautiuous with broad-spectrum antiseptic mouthwashes (particularly chlorhexidine, unless specifically prescribed by your dentist).

Hello everyone, When it comes to improving our health, knowing what to do is only part of the journey. The real challenge is turning healthy choices into everyday habits. Stroke prevention isn't about being perfect. It's about making small, healthy choices consistently over time. Whether it's adding more vegetables to your meals, taking a 10-minute walk, checking your blood pressure, or going to bed at the same time each night, these small daily actions can make a real difference to your health. Tracking your progress makes it easier to build lasting habits. That's why we're excited to introduce the Stroke-Proof Weekly Habit Tracker - a simple way to stay motivated, celebrate your progress, and turn small healthy choices into lifelong healthy habits. How it works: - Print your tracker (available in the Classroom) and keep it somewhere you'll see it every day, such as on your fridge or desk. - Each Sunday, write down your healthy habit of the week on your tracker. - Tick the box each day you complete the habit. - Bring it along. After completing four weeks, bring your tracker to our Monthly Community Meeting to receive an Official Certificate of Achievement in recognition of your dedication and commitment to improving your health. By using this tracker, you're not just ticking boxes. You're building healthy habits, staying accountable, and celebrating your progress. If you miss a day, don't give up. Simply start again the next day. Progress comes from consistency, not perfection. Are you ready to get started? Print your tracker today, write down this week's healthy habit, and let's build healthier habits together.