Article
Belly Fat Is Culprit in Stroke Gender Gap
Middle-Aged Women 3 Times as Likely to Have Had a Stroke Than Men
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News
The midlife gender gap in stroke rates continues to widen, with women aged 45 to 54 now three times more likely than men in that age group to report having had a stroke.
Several years ago, the same researchers reported that between 1999 and 2004, women aged 45 to 54 were more than twice as likely as their male counterparts to have had a stroke.
The findings created a stir in the medical community as middle-aged women before menopause have long been thought to be protected against heart disease.
So what's driving this disturbing trend? Then, like now, tummy fat appears to be to blame, says Amytis Towfighi, MD, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
In the current analysis, stroke risk factors were worse in men than in women -- all, that is, except weight gain around the waist, she says.
"Our hypothesis is abdominal obesity increases the risk of other risk factors -- diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Together, they drive up the risk of stroke," Towfighi tells WebMD.
The study was presented at the American Stroke Association's (ASA) International Stroke Conference.
Related posts:
