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(Stroke. 2009;40:1921.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Research Letters

Reduction in Incident Stroke Risk With Vigorous Physical Activity

Evidence From 7.7-Year Follow-Up of the National Runners’ Health Study

From the Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Donner Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif.

Correspondence to Paul T. Williams, PhD, Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Donner Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720. E-mail ptwilliams{at}lbl.gov

Background and Purpose— The purpose of this study was to assess the dose–response relationship between vigorous physical activity (running distance, km/d) and the participant-reported physician-diagnosed stroke.

Methods— Age-adjusted survival analysis of 29 279 men and 12 123 women followed prospectively for 7.7 years.

Results— One hundred men and 19 women reported incident strokes. Per km/d run, the age- and smoking-adjusted risk for stroke decreased 12% in men (P=0.0007), and 11% in men and women combined (P=0.001), which remained significant when further adjusted for baseline diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and BMI (8% and 7% reduction per km/d run, respectively, P=0.03). Men and women who ran 2 km/d (ie, exceeded the recommended AHA/CDC and NIH guideline activity level) had significantly lower risk than those who ran less (P=0.05), and those who ran 4 km/d had significantly lower risk than those who ran 2 to 3.9 km/d (P=0.02). Men and women who ran 8 km/d were at 60% lower risk than those who ran <2 km/d (P=0.002).

Conclusions— The risk for incident stroke is substantially reduced in those who exceed the guideline physical activity level, which cannot be attributed to less hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, or body weight.

Key Words: physical activity • prevention • cerebrovascular disease