Bruce Ovbiagele

Bruce Ovbiagele is a Nigerian-American vascular neurologist, biomedical researcher, health systems executive, academic leader, organization founder, and scientific journal editor. Quotes One, what it is. Many people are not aware of what a stroke actually is, what part of the body is affected, and how devastating it can be. (A stroke occurs when a blood vessel to the brain is either blocked or ruptures, starving the brain of oxygen. Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and a top cause of disability worldwide.) Two, that it's preventable. It's well within our own ability to actually prevent strokes. First of all, I encourage them to eat a healthy diet. A diet that is well-aligned with the Mediterranean diet – that is, a diet that has fruits, nuts and vegetables and judicious use of olive oil – has been shown to reduce a person's risk of experiencing a stroke. Exercise is important because physical activity lowers blood pressure, keeps weight down and better controls the way the body can control blood sugar, or glucose. So, at the very least, moderate exercise most days of the week, for about 30 minutes each time, can be helpful in reducing the risk of stroke. The last thing I'd say is making sure that one is aware of one's numbers. And by numbers, I mean making sure that one goes for routine care and tries to make sure they're aware of their cholesterol, blood sugar and especially blood pressure, because that is the primary modifiable risk factor for a stroke. Age is the biggest one. We know that for every decade after the age of 55, the risk of experiencing a stroke doubles. I try to exercise every day. I do a little bit of modest resistance training by doing pushups. I work out on a stationary bike, as well. I don't always succeed in doing that every day, but I try to do it at least four or five days a week. I don't like exercise just being routine. So, when I do exercise on my bike, I do it to music. Hiking with my spouse is one of my big things. I love doing things in nature. And hiking, I think more than anything else, has been a way to be more physically active and also to just unplug. I take the staircase almost all the time unless there's some compelling reason not to. I'm notorious for doing that in every workplace that I've been. But I do that all the time – and encourage my colleagues to do so, as well.