Stroke: More than just a sudden event

On this Stroke Awareness Day, it’s important to understand that a stroke is not typically a random, instantaneous event. According to The Noakes Foundation, while a stroke appears sudden — a blocked or ruptured artery in the brain — the reality is it often follows years of quietly building metabolic and vascular damage. thenoakesfoundation.org

How does a stroke happen?

At its core, a stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted (ischemic stroke) or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts (hemorrhagic stroke). This deprives brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients, causing cell death and resulting in brain damage.

But what leads up to that?

• It starts with insulin resistance — when cells in the body stop responding properly to insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. This is triggered by diets high in refined carbohydrates and sugars.

• As insulin resistance builds, it leads to the accumulation of visceral fat (fat around organs). Visceral fat secretes inflammatory chemicals which damage blood vessels, raise blood pressure, stiffen arteries, and reduce overall vascular resilience.

• The blood vessels in the brain are affected by these long-term changes — the lining becomes less flexible, blood flow to small vessels is impaired, and the chance of rupture or blockage increases.

In other words, a stroke is often the end of a long story of metabolic dysfunction rather than a sudden event.

What are the main underlying causes and risk factors?

Based on what we know from research, key drivers include:

• Insulin resistance as described above, when the body’s insulin system fails, it is a major upstream driver of vascular damage.

• High blood sugar and frequent sugar spikes from refined sugars, carbohydrates and ultraprocessed foods. The more often the body is forced to produce high levels of insulin, the more likely that insulin resistance will set in.

• Visceral fat accumulation — fat around internal organs which is metabolically active, producing inflammation and harming blood vessels.

• Elevated blood pressure — a key risk factor for stroke, often worsened by metabolic dysfunction.

• Low vascular resilience — when arteries become stiff, the blood vessel lining is damaged, and small-vessel disease in the brain increases.

• Diet and lifestyle factors — especially diets high in refined carbohydrates/sugars, low physical activity, poor sleep and chronic stress. These all feed into the metabolic/vascular damage cycle.

  
  

How can you help prevent a stroke?

Here’s the good news: because much of the run-up to stroke is modifiable, there are meaningful actions you can take. Stroke prevention isn’t just about medication — it’s about addressing the root causes of inflammation and vascular damage in your body.

Key steps to consider:

1. Improve insulin sensitivity — aim to reduce repeated sugar and refined‐carb spikes; support the body so that insulin works well.

2. Adopt a whole-food, lower‐carbohydrate, higher-healthy-fat diet — a well-formulated low‐carb high‐fat (LCHF) approach can help reduce insulin demand, calm inflammation, and stabilise blood glucose levels.

   • Choose healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, other whole foods, animal fats), animal proteins, non-starchy veggies and real whole foods.

3. Move regularly — physical activity helps burn fat, improve insulin sensitivity, and support vascular health.

4. Manage blood pressure — keep a check on your numbers, eat in a way that supports vascular health, reduce sugar and processed foods, manage stress, and sleep well.

5. Maintain a healthy visceral‐fat level — you can’t always easily “see” this kind of fat, but reducing waist circumference, getting enough movement, and eating well will help.

6. Address chronic inflammation & stress — stress, poor sleep, and lifestyle imbalance all contribute to vascular damage and metabolic dysfunction.

7. Know your metabolic markers — if you have insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, or other metabolic issues (even if you’re not overweight), your stroke risk may be elevated. Early action matters. Ask for your HbA1c, Fasting Insulin, Fasting Glucose and Lipid Panel. Check your blood pressure regularly, maintain a healthy weight and normal wasit circumference.

   
   

Why this matters

Stroke risk is not just for older people but stems from long-term metabolic health. Helping clients (or colleagues, family) understand that what they eat day-by-day and how they live their lives now has direct implications for their brain’s vascular health in years to come and may prevent a future stroke.

Final message

A stroke may look like a sudden emergency. Still, for many people, it’s the end-stage of processes that have been working quietly for years: insulin resistance, inflammation, poor diet, and vascular deterioration. But because many of these are modifiable, you have power to change the outcome. Fewer sugar hits. Better diet. More movement. Lower blood pressure. Better vascular health. Less risk.

Less sugar. Lower blood pressure. Reduce risk of stroke.

If you’d like to learn more about your personal risk factors for stroke and how to take practical steps to prevent it through improving your metabolic health, feel free to reach out — I’d love to help you get started on your prevention journey.

*This information is for educational purposes only and should not replace medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, medication, or lifestyle.*