VOA健康报道2024--Doctors Give New Guidelines for Preventing Stroke

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

New guidelines have been issued in the United States for preventing stroke - the nation's 4th biggest killer¹.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that in 2023, stroke was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. An estimated half a million people suffer strokes in the U.S. each year. But the CDC notes that up to 80 percent of strokes could be prevented with better nutrition and exercise, along with improved risk identification.

What is a stroke?

A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or if a blood vessel² in the brain breaks open, or bursts. The event keeps oxygen from getting to the brain. This can result in the person having difficulty thinking, talking and walking. In some cases, a stroke can even cause death.

Stroke is a major health problem across the world. On its website, the World Stroke Organization says the condition is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Over 100 million people worldwide have suffered a stroke. It is estimated that 25 percent of adults over 25 will have a stroke during their lifetime.

The new guidelines on stroke prevention came from the American Stroke Association. They are the first to be issued in 10 years. The advice includes suggestions for people and doctors and are based on improved information about who has strokes and why. The guidelines also include new drugs that can help reduce risk.

Health researchers say the best way to reduce the risk of stroke is the same as reducing risks for many other conditions. These include eating a healthy diet, moving the body often and not smoking.

Here is what to know about stroke and the newly issued guidelines:

Eating healthy can reduce stroke risk

Experts say eating healthy can help control possible stroke risks. The goal is to prevent or reduce high cholesterol³, high blood sugar and obesity⁴, the condition of being extremely overweight.

The advice urges people to choose foods in the so-called Mediterranean⁵ diet. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil. Eating these foods can help keep cholesterol levels down.

Red meat should be limited, along with saturated⁶ fats. Additional protein can come from beans, nuts, poultry⁷ and seafood⁸. Highly processed foods and drinks with a lot of added sugar should also be avoided.

Moving your body can help prevent strokes

Getting up and walking around for at least 10 minutes a day can greatly reduce a person's stroke risk, said Dr. Cheryl Bushnell. She is a neurologist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina.

Bushnell was part of the group that came up with the new guidelines. She said regular exercise can help reduce blood pressure, a major risk factor for stroke.

However, health experts say more movement is better. The stroke association suggests at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic⁹ or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise activity every week. Such exercise could include going to the gym, taking a walk or running. People can also use exercise machines at home, dance or play a sport.

New tools to reduce obesity, a risk factor for stroke

The guidelines include a new group of drugs that have been proven to help people lose weight.

The drugs - designed for people with obesity or diabetes¹¹ - had not been approved when past guidelines were issued. But the advice now suggests doctors consider these drugs for patients at risk for stroke. These include versions sold under the names Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound,.

The new guidelines also help doctors identify people who might be at higher risk for stroke. For the first time, the advice suggests doctors screen patients for other risk factors. They could include gender¹² or non-medical factors such as economic issues or the availability of quality health care.

The new guidelines also suggest that doctors screen for conditions that may increase a woman's risk for stroke. These could include high blood pressure during pregnancy¹³ or early menopause.

How do I know if I'm having a stroke and what do I do?

Three of the most common stroke signs include face weakness, arm weakness and difficulty speaking. Also, time is important when a person suffers a stroke. Brain damage can happen quickly, but it can be limited if a stroke is treated quickly.

Stroke experts have created an acronym¹⁴ to help people remember: FAST -- F for face, A for arm, S for speech, and T for time.

If you think you or a loved one may be having a stroke, call the emergency response number in your area immediately.

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report.

Words in This Story

factor -n. something that contributes to the production of a result

saturated fat -n. a fat that contains a fatty acid molecule¹⁵ which has no double bonds and only single bonds in its hydrocarbon¹⁶ chain, that is solid at room temperature, and that is found especially in animal products (such as meat and dairy), coconut¹⁷, and palm products

calorie -n. an amount of food having an energy-producing value of one large calorie

moderate -adj. neither very much nor very little : average in size or amount

aerobic -adj. involving or increasing oxygen use

vigorous -adj. possessing vigor¹⁰ : full of physical or mental strength or active force

screen -v. to examine usually methodically in order to make a separation into different groups : to test or examine for the presence of something (such as a disease)

menopause -n. the natural cessation of menstruation that usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55

acronym -n. a word (such as NATO, radar, or laser) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term

1 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

2 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

3 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

4 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

5 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

6 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液

7 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

8 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

9 aerobic   

adj.需氧的，增氧健身法的，有氧的

参考例句：

• Aerobic exercise helps to build up stamina.有氧健身操有助于增强耐力。
• Aerobic dance is conductive to the health.有氧舞蹈有助于健康。

10 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

11 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

12 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

13 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

14 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

15 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

16 hydrocarbon   

n.烃，碳氢化合物

参考例句：

• During incomplete combustion some of the hydrocarbon fuel is cracked.在不完全的燃烧中，一些烃燃料裂解。
• The hydrocarbon must be an alkene.这个碳氢化合物必定是烯烃。

17 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。