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U.S. women in midlife having 3 times more strokes
Women’s health in the workplace may be at risk due to a three times higher incidence of stroke for those aged 35 to 54. Strokes in men the same age have remained the same. The cause is attributed to an increase in obesity in this younger, midlife “pre-stroke” population. These results are especially shocking because the 5,000 women taking part in the study were taking medicines to control their cholesterol and blood pressure, steps that are designed to lower the risk of stroke. What is going on here? And why are women in midlife having more strokes than men?
According to a report presented at the 2008 International Stroke Conference, women’s waistlines are nearly two inches bigger than they were a decade earlier. Women’s body mass index (BMI), a standard measure of obesity, rose from 27 in the earlier study to 29. Another finding by neurologist Dr. Amytis Towfighi from UCLA, is an increase in blood sugar levels, a measurement for diabetes. These statistics point to an alarming trend in women’s health, which could have a severe impact upon the quality of life, family well-being and careers of women in midlife. All the more reason to develop wellness in the workplace programs that encourage education and prevention.