Incidence of Strokes in Women is Up

In the last two decades, the incidence of strokes in middle-aged women, or those among ages 35 to 54, has tripled and nearly quadrupled. Two percent of women, or 1 in 50, reported suffering from a stroke in a recent study. The last time this information was collected in the early 1990s, the rate was about half of one percent, or 1 in 200. The only other significant change from the previous report was an increase in body mass index, or BMI, from 27 to 29. With more women falling into the overweight and obese categories, they are at risk for a host of other health problems. Another major factor in the data seemed to be belly fat – the percentage of body fat in the abdomen. This is alarming news for middle-aged women and further proof that we must cut fat in order to fight a variety of other health problems.