Excess weight is a risk factor for many diseases. It leads to high blood pressure, puts a strain on the bones and joints and increases the risk of developing diabetes, which is a major risk factor for strokes. An overweight person is from twice to three times as likely to suffer a stroke as a person of normal weight.¹

A diet promoting cardiac health should include plenty of fruit, salad and vegetables every day. It is also advisable to choose fish ahead of meat and to include a high proportion of complex carbohydrates in your diet, for instance in the form of whole grain products, potatoes and pulses. In contrast, simple carbohydrates such as white flour, sugar or starch, as often found in cakes, pasta, bakery products and sweets, are harmful. Saturated fatty acids and, above all, trans-fatty acids are also harmful to health, increasing levels of harmful cholesterol and thus increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

_{1 cf. QVNIA Qualitätsverbund Netzwerk im Alter – Pankow e.V., Revisionsbericht (Audit Report) 2013.}