Warning: By Following The Recommendations Below, You Could Halve Your Stroke Risk

If you’re like most of us in the Western world, there’s one way you can easily reduce your stroke risk.  Unlike practicing your exercises or going to therapy, this will take very little time or effort on your part.

Not only will it lower your risk of stroke, it will also improve your stroke recovery.

Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?

Well, it is true.  So true that the American Heart Association says that if you have high levels of triglycerides, it’s essential that you do this.

I’m talking about increasing your intake of “good fats”.  Omega 3 fats.  Fats that are essential for stroke recovery.  This type of Omega 3 fats in particular are EPA and DHA.

EPA and DHA help stroke recovery by being part of the development of new nerve pathways in your brain.  They help with the myelination process, where fatty sheaths are laid around nerve pathways.  These fatty sheaths help nerve signals to be conducted down that pathway.  The more fatty sheaths, the easier it is for that nerve signal to happen.

In stroke recovery you are building lots of new nerve pathways, and repairing old ones.  Your brain needs the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA to do this.

Omega 3 fats are also helpful in stroke prevention.  Here are some cool pieces of research I found in an issue of the American Heart Association Journal:

• Omega 3 fats are shown help prevent stroke by lowering triglycerides in the blood. The American Heart Association journal states that just 4 grams a day of Omega 3 fatty acids lowered triglycerides by 25-40%!
• They also lower high blood pressure
• EPA and DHA reduce the chance of heart attacks. They also reduce damage to the heart and surrounding tissue if a heart attack does occur
• Omega 3 fats in the diet reduce damage to brain tissue if a stroke occurs
• Omega 3 fats reduce arrhythmias
• They inhibit the formation of new plaque in the arteries
• In one study, women who ate just one serving of fish a week had half as many strokes as those who ate none
• EPA and DHA can reduce depression! This is an easy tool to combat depression after stroke

If that research isn’t enough to convince you, listen to what governments think of Omega 3 fats:

The Canadian government has said: "DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, supports the normal development of the brain, eyes and nerves."

The World Health Organization as well as certain governments (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Sweden) have dietary recommendations for Omega 3 fats.

Meanwhile the American Heart Association recommends at least 1 gram of EPA and DHA combined, every day if you have high triglyceride levels.  But to actually stabilize atherosclerosis, you need a dose of 3 grams per day or higher.

So how can you get these good fats? The most significant food source of EPA and DHA is oily fish, particularly salmon.  Other options are sardines, mackerel, herring and anchovies.  Tuna and other fish do contain Omega 3 fats, just less.  A serving of tuna has about a fifth of the Omega 3 content of a serving of salmon.

Plant based food sources include grains like linseed, chia, and camelina or false flax.  However a lot of the Omega 3 they contain is ALA, which is less potent than EPA or DHA.  Walnuts also contain Omega 3 fats, with a lower amount of ALA.

One way of ensuring that you get your EPA and DHA requirement is a high quality fish oil supplement.  Look for a supplement with higher amounts of EPA and DHA.  Look for one with no heavy metals or pollutants, like mercury.  Also look for one that is cold pressed.  Heat changes the nature of the oil, making it less effective.

If you take a supplement, still make an effort to include fish and other sources of Omega 3 in your diet.  And remember that with a low dose (1 gram per day), it could take a little while to see results.  You can get results in a much shorter time frame (4 weeks in some trials) using higher doses.

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