Starting regular exercise during adolescence significantly reduces the risk of suffering a stroke in later life, according to researchers.
Researchers at Birmingham University’s department of geriatric medicine looked at 125 men and women aged between 35-74 who had just suffered their first stroke, together with a comparable group of 198 healthy people.
They found that vigorous exercise between the ages of 15-25 gave the most protection and that this “was not appreciably affected” by factors like social class, weight, smoking, alcohol consumption, family history of stroke, history of hypertension or diet.
Vigorous exercise later in life, and especially up to the age of 55, also helped reduce the risk, they reported.