Two common eating habits could be driving an alarming rise in debilitating strokes, a landmark study suggests.
Experts found consuming fizzy drinks and a diet low in Omega-6, a type of fat that is vital for health, were among 23 factors which are behind eight in ten stroke cases.
Air pollution, high blood pressure, smoking, sedentary lifestyle and high cholesterol were others identified by the scientists.
Between 1990 and 2021, the number of people suffering the medical emergency rose 70 per cent. Fatal strokes increased 44 per cent.
Experts said the study, published in the prestigious journal, The Lancet Neurology, provides ‘tremendous’ hope that the condition can be tackled with lifestyle changes.
World leading experts found two risk factors — fizzy drinks and a diet low in Omega-6 — are among 23 factors, which combined are behind 84 per cent of cases globally
Stroke symptoms are commonly remembered under this four-letter acronym, FAST, which stands for Face, Arms, Speech and Time.
Other – just as common – tell-tale signs of a looming stroke, often fall under the radar. These include sudden numbness on one side of the body, sudden vertigo and difficulty swallowing
Strokes affect more than 100,000 Britons annually — one every five minutes — claiming 38,000 lives.
This makes it the UK’s fourth biggest killer and a leading cause of disability.
Almost 800,000 people in the US are struck down each year, causing 137,000 deaths.
The problem occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, killing brain cells. The damage can lead to long-term disability and affect how people think and feel.
The most common cause is fatty deposits or a blood clot blocking arteries supplying the brain — known as ischaemic stroke.
This happens due to cardiovascular disease, when blood vessels become narrowed or blocked over time by plaques.
These are made of cholesterol, calcium and other substances that build up in the artery walls in a process known as atherosclerosis.
Soft drinks have long been discouraged by experts due to their consistent adverse association with cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease.
Meanwhile, a diet low in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids — found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds — was behind a five per cent rise.
Omega-6 is believed to have a role in boosting heart and circulatory health and poor diets, high in ultra-processed foods, may be low in the nutrient.
High BMI also accounted for a staggering 88 per cent increase.
Study co-author Dr Catherine Johnson, an expert in cardiovascular disease at the University of Washington, said: ‘With 84 per cent of the stroke burden linked to 23 modifiable risk factors there are tremendous opportunities to alter the trajectory of stroke risk for the next generation.
‘With increasing exposure to risk factors such as high blood sugar and diet high in sugar-sweetened drinks, there is a critical need for interventions focused on obesity and metabolic syndromes.
‘Identifying sustainable ways to work with communities to take action to prevent and control modifiable risk factors for stroke is essential to address this growing crisis.’
For the first time, the study, presented at the World Stroke Congress in Abu Dhabi, also revealed how significant particulate matter air pollution could be to a fatal brain bleed.
It contributed to 14 per cent of the death and disability caused by this serious stroke subtype, with the study indicating it is on a par with smoking.
Half of all the disability and the lives lost to stroke globally — 81 million healthy years of life lost — in 2021 were the result of haemorrhagic strokes, the deadliest form.
These are strokes that occur due to bleeding in the brain.
This is despite the fact they are around half as common as ischaemic strokes.
Ischaemic strokes are linked to heart disease, a problem that affects 7.6million people in Britain and 30 million Americans.
But progress has been made in reducing the global stroke burden from risk factors linked to other areas of poor diet, air pollution, and smoking, the study found.
Health loss due to diets high in processed meat and low in vegetables fell by 40 and 30 per cent, respectively.
By contrast particulate matter air pollution dropped 20 per cent, and smoking by 13 per cent.
