WEDNESDAY, June 26, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly half a million women in the United States will have a stroke this year, but there are many ways for them to reduce their risk.
"Knowledge is power," said Dr. Natalia Rost, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. "If you know that a particular risk factor is sabotaging your health and predisposing you to a higher risk of stroke, you can take steps to alleviate the effects of that risk."
Two leading contributors to stroke are age and family history, which can't be controlled, but factors such as blood pressure and lifestyle behaviors are modifiable, Rost said in a Harvard news release.
Stroke -- sometimes called a brain attack -- occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted.
In the June issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch, Rost suggested the following ways to reduce stroke risk:
More information
The Office on Women's Health has more about strokes.