Their efforts to take themselves in hand involved regular exercise, such as walking or cycling, rather than epic feats.
These men were just getting themselves together. They werent marathon runners, or anything like that.
So we can safely say that as a normal person you are able to improve your fitness by putting in the effort and that will protect you.
The group whose midlife fitness increased the most on average saw a 22 per cent improvement in exercise tests.
Their chances of having a stroke were almost the same as those of men who had been fit all their lives.
Dr Prestgaad said: "If you become fit or remain fit, there's no difference. That's a good message - if you're 50 and not fit over the next years you can become fit and lower your risk. It' s never too late to get fit.
But you can't let yourself go because you lose the protection that you had. If you're in good shape when you're 50 you can't just stop working out and float on what you have. You have to keep it up, he said.
Many people assumed that lifestyle changes were only likely in the young, but the study found that almost of half of the men had changed their habits over the seven years - becoming more or less active.
Their efforts to take themselves in hand involved regular exercise, such as walking or cycling, rather than epic feats.
These men were just getting themselves together. They werent marathon runners, or anything like that.
So we can safely say that as a normal person you are able to improve your fitness by putting in the effort and that will protect you.
The group whose midlife fitness increased the most on average saw a 22 per cent improvement in exercise tests.
Their chances of having a stroke were almost the same as those of men who had been fit all their lives.
Dr Prestgaad said: "If you become fit or remain fit, there's no difference. That's a good message - if you're 50 and not fit over the next years you can become fit and lower your risk. It' s never too late to get fit.
But you can't let yourself go because you lose the protection that you had. If you're in good shape when you're 50 you can't just stop working out and float on what you have. You have to keep it up, he said.
Many people assumed that lifestyle changes were only likely in the young, but the study found that almost of half of the men had changed their habits over the seven years - becoming more or less active.
More than 100,000 Brits have a stroke each year and it is one of the leading causes of adult disability.
There are over 1.2 million people living with the effects of the condition which costs the NHS around 3 billion a year.
Nine in 10 strokes are preventable, scientists believe, with the majority linked to lifestyle factors such as diet, obesity and fitness.
Read more from the original source:
Men who get fit in middle age can halve their risk of strokes - Telegraph.co.uk
