Exercise may Help Reduce Risk of Stroke from Hormone Therapy in Women

A recent study shows that moderate exercise can help reduce the increased stroke risk typically seen in postmenopausal women taking menopausal hormones.

"I was surprised that moderate physical activity was most strongly associated with a reduced risk of stroke," said Sophia Wang, Ph.D., the study's lead author and professor in the department of population sciences within the Beckman Research Institute at the City of Hope in Duarte, Calif, via Science Codex. "More strenuous activity such as running didn't further reduce women's stroke risk. Moderate activity, such as brisk walking appeared to be ideal in this scenario."

For the study, researchers analyzed information from 133,479 women in the California Teachers Study in order to determine how many suffered a stroke between 1996 and 2010. Findings showed that those who reported doing moderate physical activity three years before enrolling in the study were 20 percent less likely to report stroke-related issues.

As postmenopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy have a 30 percent higher risk of stroke than those who do not use menopausal hormone therapy, findings also showed that when women began to stop using hormones, their stroke-risks also plummeted.

"The effects of physical activity and hormone therapy appear immediate and the benefits of physical activity are consistent in premenopausal and postmenopausal women," Wang said, via the news organization. He suggests that moderate physical activity can be easily added to most individual's daily routines. "You don't have to do an extreme boot camp. The types of activities we're talking about are accessible to most of the population." 

Though most of the study participants were white (87 percent), researchers said they believe that the study's results may also apply to women of varying racial backgrounds to determine differing outcomes. Thus, they hope to complete further studies to examine how moderate aerobic activity reduces stroke risk and helps those with diabetes avoid strokes, as well.

More information regarding the research were presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014.