Increase Your Antioxidants To Reduce Your Risk Of A Stroke

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES


Every 45 seconds, someone has one.  It is the #1 leading cause of disability in the US.  160,000 people die from this each year, making it third behind heart disease and cancer.  What is it?

Stroke - If you take the right steps, you may reduce your risk factor for having a stroke.  And women, you are more at risk than you think!  Let me explain…  


What is a stroke?

There are two different types of strokes.  One is caused by plaque breaking off in your brain or other areas of your body.  This plaque then travels to your brain, where it cuts off the blood supply.  Lack of blood supply may result in the death of your brain cells.

The other type of stroke occurs when the vessels in your brain are weak or they rupture.  This causes blood to leach into your brain, causing damage.  Both types may lead to permanent disability, with paralysis primarily occurring on one side of your body.

Free Radicals and Stroke - Free radicals do a number on the cells in your body.  They create an environment where the free radicals may damage vessels, causing them to stiffen.  This may cause your vessels to not function optimally, resulting in your blood having a harder time moving through your body.  
Free radicals may also cause inflammation.  And inflammation may be the beginning to certain disease processes.  One disease caused by inflammation may be strokes and cardiovascular disease.  But you may be able to reduce your risk factors.

Antioxidants - Antioxidant-rich foods may reduce your risk factors for developing a stroke.  And this may happen with or without previous cardiovascular disease.  A study released recently, showed women who ate more fruits and vegetables, and drank more tea decreased their risk for having a stroke.  Powerful free radical fighters are found in fruits and vegetables.  Antioxidants, which are nutrients, may trap free radicals in their structure.

As a review…

Free radicals are unstable molecules.  They spend their time searching out stable molecules so they can steal one of their electrons.  This stealing enables the free radical to stabilize itself.  However, by stealing one electron from a balanced molecule makes that molecule unstable.  It then repeats the process.  When free radicals run into antioxidants, it steals a molecule to stabilize itself.  However, antioxidants maintain stability even when the free radical steals an electron.  Vitamins C, E, carotenoids, and flavonoids may all be able to neutralize free radicals, therefore reducing inflammation.

The Research - Researchers followed 31,035 women over the course of the study.  Women with the highest total antioxidant capacity (TAC) had a 17% less likely chance to have a stroke.

Women who ate more vegetables REDUCED their
risk of having a stroke

And if you had heart issues in the past…Women who had heart issues in the past, reduced their risk of having a stroke from 46% to 57%.

Women at the highest end of TAC showed
DRAMATIC decrease in risk

Antioxidants - Antioxidants are powerful fighters against free radicals and their associated damage.  One nutrient leading the way is Astaxanthin.  This nutrient is found in large amounts in fish, krill, and other marine animals.

Astaxanthin is a form of algae which many
different marine animals eat

This powerful antioxidant is able to bind to cell membranes and trap the free radicals in its unique structure.
Once trapped it transports it to the surface of your cell for other antioxidants, like Vitamin C, to destroy it.
Astaxanthin is found in EFA Icon and may help neutralize free radical damage.  EFA Icon is a potent source of omega-3 fatty acids and it has a total antioxidant capacity which may surpass some of the more powerful antioxidants.

What Is Your Next Step?

Having a stroke may lead to a lifetime of problems.  As the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of death, strokes must be dealt with seriously.  Increasing antioxidant-rich foods into your diet may reduce your risk for developing a stroke.  There may be a new fighter on the scene in the form of Krill oil.
Having an oxygen radical absorption capacity which may rival most antioxidants, krill oil may potentially be a great antioxidant source.  A diet full of fruits and vegetables, and drinking tea may increase your antioxidant levels.  This may help reduce your risk for having a stroke.


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