A new study linking healthy lifestyle with decreased risk of stroke showed that five simple healthy lifestyle factors could radically shift risk of stroke and heart disease. The study took place at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm beginning in 1997 and followed the lifestyle and daily habits of nearly 32,000 women over age 50.

A healthy lifestyle was defined by five factors: keeping to a heart-healthy diet, having between three and nine alcoholic drinks per week, never smoking cigarettes, keeping moderately active for at least 40 minutes per day and maintaining a body mass index (BMI) below 25. Women reporting all five healthy lifestyle factors had a 62% lower risk of cerebral infarction, and a 54% lower risk of all types of stroke. Over the period of the study, there were 2,709 strokes total, largely concentrated amongst women reporting unhealthy lifestyle factors.

While risk for heart disease and stroke is often assessed by an individual’s predisposition according to their genetic profile and family history, science is starting to tell a different story. The kind of lifestyle trackingconducted in this study can revolutionize both current and future health, and is being made easier than ever with new technologies like ph360.

Though many people are born with the genetic weight of a family history of strokes, new advances in epigenetic science (the study of how your lifestyle and environment affect your genetic expression) show that lifestyle choices can influence and even prevent the expression of disease-dictating genes. Changing the way you live could actually decrease your chances of ever having a stroke.

ph360 takes health tracking to the next level, employing a research-based algorithm that integrates the sciences of endocrinology, epigenetics, and anthropometry to deliver personalized diet, exercise, and lifestyle programs. Personalized health and lifestyle programs provide targeted health insight, providing a way for those struggling with their health to make consistent improvements to their daily habits.

The first step to shifting unhealthy lifestyle habits is to recognize those daily actions you take that may be contributing to your health risk. From there, today’s science and technology can actually help you target the specific diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices that will help keep your body healthy and your DNA happy. After all, the best way to avoid future disease is to keep yourself healthy right now.

Personalized health takes preventative health one step further by providing you with your own roadmap to lasting health. It means knowing not just the destination, but the way to get there.

Discover what’s healthy for you—not everyone else—by exploring your own personalized healthy lifestyle plan today on ph360.me!