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).

Just a reminder that we have our check in at 6pm today. Chance to catch up reconnect, check your blood pressure and chat about all things stroke prevention. Just click the link in the calendar section of the app/website.

8ú modern sense. It's not about: ❌ Calorie counting ❌ Cutting out entire food groups ❌ Drinking expensive green powders ❌ Surviving on lettuce Instead, it's a pattern of eating traditionally seen in countries such as Greece, Spain, and parts of Italy. It typically includes: ✅ Lots of vegetables ✅ Fruit ✅ Beans and legumes ✅ Nuts and seeds ✅ Whole grains ✅ Extra virgin olive oil as the main fat source ✅ Fish and seafood regularly ✅ Moderate dairy (often yoghurt) ✅ Limited ultra-processed foods ✅ Limited sugary drinks and sweets ✅ Less red and processed meat ✅ Social eating One of the most important studies ever performed on diet was the PREDIMED trial. Researchers studied over 7,000 people at high cardiovascular risk and put them on either: 🥄 A Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil 🥜 A Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts 📋 A control low-fat diet Crucially, the nuts and Olive oil groups received a supply of the nuts or oil every month so we can be confident they ate more of these than their usual. After around 5 years of follow-up, the Mediterranean diet groups experienced roughly a 30% reduction in the combined risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death compared with the control group. Stroke reduction was one of the strongest signals seen in the trial at nearly 40% reduction. And this isn't just one study. A major BMJ systematic review and network meta-analysis (essentially a study pulling together data from all the high quality research on the topic that could find to give very reliable results) examining randomised dietary programmes found that Mediterranean dietary programmes reduce death, heart attacks, and cardiovascular events in people at increased cardiovascular risk. Importantly, they also reduce stroke risk. Why might it work? The Mediterranean diet appears to improve many of the key drivers of stroke and cardiovascular disease: 🩸 Blood pressure 🧈 LDL cholesterol 🔥 Inflammation 🍬 Blood sugar control

A group of nine members from Merseyside Life After Stroke Group went to McLaren Leeds as guests of Gary Booth who runs Chequered Flag Motorsport. It was a great day and everyone enjoyed it. We were supposed to drive the simulator but unfortunately it was broken in the morning (before we arrived so we did not break it!😂).

Thanks to everyone for today's meeting. It was a real pleasure to catch up as always. Could I ask a small favour please? I've recently joined a website where doctors get online reviews. As I have only just joined I currently haven't got any reviews and wanted to start with yourselves to get the ball rolling. Would you mind please clicking on this link and submitting a review for me? Thanks for your help. https://www.doctify.com/uk/review/JWE8oi/single