Obesity Linked to Increased Stroke Rates Among Young Americans

The mounting obesity epidemic in the United States has contributed to an increase in the number of strokes occurring among younger Americans. New research has revealed that the average age of patients suffering a first stroke in the greater Cincinnati area has dropped by almost three years between 1993 and 2005. The findings of the analysis were recently presented at the American Stroke Association conference in San Antonio.

Brett Kissela, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute set out to determine why many of the stroke patients seen in the neurology department of the hospital were not much older than the age of 50. Kissela and his colleagues analyzed data from 17 hospitals in the Cincinnati metropolitan area spanning two counties in Ohio and three in northern Kentucky, which provided a nationally representative population of approximately 1.3 million people. They discovered that the average age of stroke victims had decreased from 71.3 in 1993 to 68.4 by the end of 2005.

During the same period of time, the percentage of patients suffering a stroke prior to reaching the age of 45 jumped from 4.5 percent to 7.3 percent. Kissela described the findings as “tragic” because young people who become disabled from stroke lose a lot of productive life. Kissela theorized that the increase in risk factors among younger Americans such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, may be the reasoning behind the trend. Prior findings of his research team have shown that diabetes alone can contribute to a five to 10 time greater likelihood of stroke among people under the age of 65. Kissela pointed out, “We’re just seeing these conditions come sooner, so it’s probably not surprising that the strokes would come sooner.”

In contrast to the increased number of strokes seen in younger patients, rates have actually declined among whites ages 65 and older, as well as in blacks ages 85 and older. However, the rates may be offset by the number of younger patients suffering strokes. Kissela maintains that generally, the absolute risk of stroke remains significantly lower among younger Americans than in the older population. Occurrences numbered about 25 per 100,000 whites and 55 per 100,000 blacks between the ages of 20 and 44 in 2005. In comparison, the rates were 1,263 per 100,000 whites and 1,029 per 100,000 blacks, in patients ages 85 and older.

Thick & Thin: How Genetics Play a Role in Obesity

Tall and short, dark and light, freckled and tanned, we come in many packages with innumerable features, most of them determined by our genetics before we ever draw breath. Very few of these traits can we control, and we just have to play the hand we're dealt.

But when people are earnestly trying to lose weight and failing again and again, many ultimately get the sneaking suspicion that they really are playing against a stacked deck. They may be right.

If you're one of those who subscribes to the notion that America's growing weight problem is solely a failure of personal restraint or will, it's time to reconsider. Solid research is helping us understand just how truly stacked that deck is. For some people who struggle with their weight, it seems that any given exercise effort will yield far less result than it offers everyone else because of what's already coded on their DNA.

When it comes to weight management, genetic factors get blamed for a lot of body issues where they may or may not play a role: "She's just big-boned." "He just carries his cargo up front." "The whole family is built that way." You've heard them all, and they might have sounded more like excuses than explanations.

But think about the genetically based elements that we already know are out of our control. People certainly do have different body types, with some of us thicker or thinner than others, and shorter or taller.

Then there's the particular predisposition for distribution, for having our weight in certain places on our bodies, which could be the old apple/pear body-type contrast, or a tendency to carry fat on the arms.

Add to those a predisposition for building muscle easily or not. And if you want to be very specific, throw in that natural love or dislike of athletic pursuits that would certainly come into play with exercise.