How Fish Oils Prevent Stroke
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Types of Strokes
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There are two kinds of stroke. The most common type is an ischemic stroke, which account for more than 80 percent of strokes. Some common causes of ischemic stroke are blockages in the arteries that supply the brain and blood clots that form in the heart. Blockages in the arteries that supply the brain are caused by the narrowing of blood vessels due to plaque buildup. Blood clots can get stuck in these narrowed arteries cutting off the blood they supply all together. Blood clots in the heart form as a result of heart attack, heart valve irregularities, and irregular heartbeat. Clots forming in the heart is the most common cause of an ischemic stroke.
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The second type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke. This occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts and bleeds into the surrounding brain tissue, putting pressure on the brain. There are two types of hemorrhagic stroke. Intracerebral hemorrhage happens in the brain and causes bleeding to occur within the brain. Subarachnoid hemorrhage happens when the location the vessel that bursts is close to the surface of the brain and blood fills the area surrounding the brain.
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Effects of Fish Oil on Stroke
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There have been several studies on fish oil and stroke. Harvard School of Public Health did a 12-year study of 43,671 men to see how fish oil affected stroke. This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on December 25, 2002. During this 12-year period, 608 of the participants in the study had strokes. The men were given questionnaires to complete about their dietary habits at several intervals during the study. It was found that men who ate fish at least once a month were 44 percent less likely to have a ischemic stroke than men who ate fish less than once a month.
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A 14-year study done by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital showed that fish oil also had an effect on women and stroke prevention. This study showed that women who ate fish five times a week had a 52 percent less chance of having an ishemic stroke than women who did not.
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Both of these studies showed that fish oil consumption lessens the chance of having a ischemic stroke but has no effect on your risk of having a hemorrhagic stroke. Since hemorrhagic strokes only account for 17 percent of all strokes, taking fish oil does reduce your risk of strokes generally.
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Fish oil prevents stroke because it contains omega 3 fatty acids. These acids prevent ischemic strokes in 2 ways. Omega 3 fatty acids help lower the amount of LDL (bad cholesterol) in your body. This is the cholesterol that's responsible for plaque buildup in arteries. When arteries are narrowed by plaque, they are more likely to get blocked by blood clots.
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Omega 3 fatty acids also help thin the blood. The acids keep blood platelets from clumping together while the blood is flowing. This lessens the risk of forming blood clots.
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