Optimism 'cuts stroke risk'

People using home care who are more optimistic may be at a lower risk of stroke than those who are negative, new findings have indicated.

A group of 6,044 participants over the age of 50 were asked to rate their level of optimism on a 15-point scale for the study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Each point increase in optimism was found to link to a nine per cent decrease in risk of acute stroke in the following two years.

Lead author Eric Kim, from the University of Michigan, said that "Optimism seems to have a swift impact on stroke.

"Our work suggests that people who expect the best things in life actively take steps to promote health."

Meanwhile, research at the Medical College of Wisconsin revealed that learning meditation techniques can lower stroke risk.

Patients at risk of stroke were seen to cut their risk of having a stroke by 47 per cent if they meditated regularly.

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