'Junk food' may significantly hike risk of stroke

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- People who eat a so-called "Western diet," which is high in fat, salt and sugar, are at significantly greater risk for stroke or premature death, according to a new study involving rats.

Researchers from Canada found this type of food, also known as the "cafeteria diet," creates what they called "a ticking time bomb of health problems."

For the study, the researchers gave sedentary rats a choice of nutritional food pellets or junk food items including cookies, sausage and cupcakes. The animals were also given a choice of water or a 30 percent sugar solution that imitated soft drinks.

Like humans, the researchers said, the rats preferred the treats. And after eating a high-calorie, high-sugar and high-sodium diet for just two months, they developed symptoms of a condition known as metabolic syndrome, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and obesity -- factors that increase the risk of stroke and other health problems. Next...

ABC7Chicago.com

Speak again after stroke through song

March 28, 2007 - According to the American Heart Association, about 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke every year. That means, every 45 seconds, someone has a stroke in this country. More than 60 percent of strokes occur in females and nearly 30 percent of all stroke victims are under age 65. If a person survives a stroke, they are often left with any number of physical challenges as a result. Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States. Today, about 5.5 million stroke survivors are living in the United States.

APHASIA: According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, aphasia is a language disorder caused by damage to one or more of the language areas of the brain. Aphasia can impair the expression and understanding of language as well as reading and writing. About one in five stroke survivors have difficulty with language.