Good afternoon. We have our community catch up on Friday. A chance to catch up and see how we're all getting on as well as to share our plans to reduce our future stroke risk. I look forward to seeing you there as it's always a pleasure to catch up and to see how everyone is doing. Unfortunately, as I'm on Stroke On call from 5pm I've moved the meeting to 4-5pm. I hope you can still make it.

Did you know you can have a healthy weight but still carry too much fat around your waist? Abdominal fat (visceral fat) is stored deep inside your abdomen, surrounding organs such as the liver, pancreas and intestines. Unlike fat just beneath the skin, visceral fat is metabolically active and is linked to inflammation, type 2 diabetes (as discussed in the previous post), high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, and an increased risk of stroke. You can have a healthy BMI and still carry excess abdominal fat, so checking your waist measurement alongside your weight and BMI can provide valuable information about your health. As a general guide, try to keep your waist measurement below half your height. For example, if you’re 180 cm tall, your waist should ideally be less than 90 cm. What Should You Eat? Certain foods can help reduce visceral fat by improving insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation, and increasing fibre and satiety. Here are some evidence-based foods that can help reduce abdominal fat, plus ideas for adding them to your diet. 🐟 Oily Fish Salmon, sardines, and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), which help reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, and support liver health. Pan-Seared Salmon Lunch Bowl - Season the salmon with olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper and dill. - Pan-sear until thoroughly cooked. - Fry the leeks, peppers and mushrooms in a separate pan with a little olive oil, black pepper and your favourite herbs until softened. - Serve with brown rice, quinoa or barley. 🫒-Virgin Olive Oil Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) as part of the Mediterranean diet combined with vegetables, fruit, nuts, and legumes can help reduce abdominal fat. EVOO offers monounsaturated fats and polyphenols that reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity. Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl - Cooked quinoa - Chopped tomatoes - Cucumber - Red pepper - Feta cheese - Olives (optional) Simple Vinaigrette

Why glucose stability may matter in type 2 diabetes. This week for our Stroke Prevention tip Professor Chatterjee has written fantastic post about glucose variability and why it matters for stroke risk. There are some excellent diagrams in the post that I couldn't post into the text window, so instead I've uploaded the whole post as a PDF that you can read by clicking the link below. Enjoy!

Welcome to Week 2 of our series courtesy of Prof Chatterjee on diabetes and insulin resistance. You will find the post attached below. Please comment and let us know your thoughts below. Have a great week and keep doing all the great stuff that you are doing!