Strokes Among Middle-Aged Women Increase

According to research done by University of Southern California in Los Angeles, strokes have tripled in recent years among middle-aged women in the US.

This is mainly due to the obesity epidemic. Nearly 2 percent of women ages 35 to 54 reported suffering a stroke in the most recent federal health survey, from 1999 to 2004 as compared to half a percent in the previous survey, from 1988 to 1994.

This is surprising because it happened when more women were on medicines to control their cholesterol and blood pressure.

The researchers said women's abdominal obesity corresponds with the increase in strokes.Although men normally have a greater risk of stroke than women, women start catching up to men five or 10 years after menopause