Stroke is uncommon in women, especially in younger women. But there's an alarming study out showing that women are experiencing strokes at an accelerated rate:

Nearly 2 percent of women ages 35 to 54 reported suffering a stroke in the most recent federal health survey, from 1999 to 2004. Only about half a percent did in the previous survey, from 1988 to 1994.

Men in the same survey did not show an increase. The risk factor that appears to be in play is increased obesity.

The increase makes stroke more common in middle aged women than in men, a significant reversal from the previous statistics, where men in this age range had twice the rate of strokes.

The article notes that these women were on medications to control blood pressure and cholesterol, which are supposed to limit the risk of stroke.

While they are showing that women are getting larger around the waist, I'm skeptical. Surely the men are putting on pounds at a similar rate, and yet their risk did not change in this survey. What could be going on?