Understanding your stroke risk

Some stroke risk factors cannot be controlled: age: Strokes can happen at any age but are more common after 65. gender: Men have a higher risk of stroke, while women's stroke risk goes up after menopause. family history: Your stroke risk is higher if a close family member such as a parent, sibling, or child has had a stroke before age 65.

There are many stroke risk factors that you can control: Lifestyle factors: being overweight (use the body mass index [BMI] calculator to see if you are overweight) eating an unhealthy diet (low in fruits and vegetables and high in fat and sodium) not getting enough exercise (this applies only to people whose doctor has given them approval to exercise.