• More adults under the age of 65 are having strokes, according to the CDC.
• Actor Jamie Foxx shared on Tuesday that he had a stroke in 2023.
• To lower the risk of stroke, a neurologist advised stopping smoking, eating healthy, and doing daily cardio.

Jamie Foxx said that he had a stroke at the age of 55 last year, amid a trend of more younger adults experiencing the condition.

Strokes, which occur when a part of the brain doesn't have enough blood flow, are life-threatening and most common in older people. But strokes in people under 65 increased by around 15% in the US from 2011 - 2013 to 2020 - 2022, a CDC study, published May 23, found. This corresponds with a rise in cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity among younger, working-age adults, it said.

If brain cells go too long without oxygen, they die, which can lead to permanent damage and the loss of certain abilities like speech or sight, according to The Cleveland Clinic. That's why acting fast and educating the public about stroke risk factors are crucial, the study said.

The fifth leading cause of death in the US in 2021, stroke also cost the country about $56.2 billion between 2019 and 2020, according to the CDC.

In his Netflix comedy special "What Had Happened Was," which premieres Tuesday, Foxx, now 56, said he was hospitalized after complaining of a bad headache and passing out while on set. He said he was unconscious for weeks and couldn't remember 20 days during that period. The stroke was caused by a brain bleed, he said.

It's unclear what contributed to Foxx experiencing a stroke.

Researchers are working to uncover what's behind the uptick in strokes among younger adults, but possible factors could include pollution and stress, Dr. Neshika Samarasekera, a clinical neurologist, researcher, and senior clinical lecturer at the charity Stroke Association, told Business Insider.

While stroke can affect anyone at any age, there are things you can do to lower the risk, she said.

Stop smoking

"Firstly, if you're smoking, stop," Samarasekera said.

Smokers are around three times more likely to have a stroke than non-smokers, and twice as likely to die from a stroke, according to the Stroke Association. This is because tobacco smoke contains thousands of harmful chemicals that, when inhaled, enter the bloodstream and damage cells all around the body.

Smoking can reduce oxygen levels in the blood, increase blood pressure, trigger atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat, raise levels of 'bad' cholesterol, and raise the risk of a blood clot, according to the charity. These are all known stroke risk factors.

Some risk factors, such as age and genetic disposition, are out of our control so it's important that we try to reduce the ones we can control, Samarasekera said.

Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day

Eating a healthy diet can help reduce stroke by keeping risk factors under control.

Samarasekera recommended eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, with a focus on colorful vegetables such as broccoli and carrots, which are packed with antioxidants.

There's evidence to suggest that inflammation plays a role in causing stroke, and "antioxidants, put simply, help to mop up that inflammation," she said. They are also nutrient-dense and contain dietary fiber.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting ultra-processed foods, alcohol, and foods with lots of added sugar and salt.

Get your heart rate up every day

Samarasekera said that ideally, everyone should aim to do 30 minutes of moderate exercise that gets their heart rate up each day.

"Something that does visibly increase your heart rate, be that brisk walking, be that running," she said.

Aim to up your heart rate in a "graded way," she said: "you don't want people going from zero to really pushing themselves."

Doing 30 minutes of exercise five times a week is thought to reduce the risk of stroke by 25%, according to the World Stroke Organization.

This is because it plays an important role in reducing several stroke risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol.

The AHA recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity a week.

• Tommy Caldwell, a world-famous climber, injured his Achilles tendon in 2022.
• It took him two years to fully recover, which involved taking a break from climbing.
• He eventually bounced back and broke another climbing record with climber Alex Honnold.

In 2022, world-famous climber Tommy Caldwell was feeling great on a climb in Yosemite National Park. When he fell and popped his Achilles tendon, he wasn't too worried.

"At first, I didn't understand the severity of the injury," Caldwell, 46, told Business Insider. "I've always been a fast healer."

This wasn't the first setback of Caldwell's career. In his 20s, in 2001, he accidentally sawed off part of his left index finger when building a platform. Still, he rose to fame breaking multiple free climbing records. He told BI the comeback was one of "the more uplifting experiences" of his life.

But this time was different.

It was a longer recovery process, one that took two years to fully heal and involved taking breaks from his usual 12-hours-a-day climbing routine, which impacted his muscle mass.

"I was a little bit worried that I was losing my fitness," Caldwell said.

Within a year, he healed enough to climb again — and break another record. In the National Geographic documentary "The Devil's Climb," Caldwell and "Free Solo" star Alex Honnold were the first climbers to ascend all five peaks of The Devil's Thumb, a hazardous mountain range in Alaska, in one day.

He shared some tips for bouncing back, from doing more cross-training to eating more protein.

He cross-trains with biking and light weights

Due to his age, Caldwell believes "strength training is a little bit more important" to build muscle mass.

Climbing naturally strengthens muscles, such as using hang boards during training. Additionally, Caldwell lifts "relatively light weights" to prevent injury and works with a physical therapist to address issues like lower back pain.

He also loves biking: in "The Devil's Thumb," he and Honnold biked from Colorado to Canada to take a boat to Alaska before the big climb. Caldwell said this was an important part of his recovery process leading up to the endeavor, because "I knew that to make my tendons truly healthy, pumping a lot of blood through my body."

He usually does an hour of cardio (like biking) before his daily climb. He said that frequent movement helps him feel his best, especially when he's outdoors for most of the day.

"That's the main lifestyle habit that seems to keep me feeling youthful and energetic and strong," he said. "Just getting up and doing it."

He eats more protein than he used to

Caldwell used to be a vegetarian but said it "didn't work great" for him in terms of getting enough protein.

"Now I'm in a phase where I'm relatively protein-heavy," he said. He starts mornings off with oatmeal and flax seeds, as well as eggs. Because his kids love meat, he has it for dinner about 3 to 4 times a week. He also eats mostly minimally processed foods, including a lot of vegetables.

He said eating more protein and whole foods has helped with even small climbing issues, like the skin on his fingertips healing faster.

"Nutrition can affect that a lot," he said. "Eating fish oils and leafy greens and just drinking enough water is a pretty big deal."

He said he takes supplements like creatine, which helps build muscle. "I've never been hugely scientific about that stuff, I'm always sort of dabbling," he said. Caldwell also has a partnership with Elo, a personalized nutrition brand. Using blood work and data tracking, he said Elo makes him custom vitamins and protein supplements.

He prioritizes life outside of climbing

Caldwell said that the most important thing he could do for this injury was "to just chill out."

Normally, he would deal with climbing injuries by going to a lot of physical therapy. But in this case, it was counterproductive. An Achilles tendon injury required rest, and "I tried to actively heal it, which led to more ruptures," he said.

To climb well again, he had to put it on hold. "Overall, I was surprised my morale didn't suffer more," he said.

A huge part of his emotional recovery was finding joy outside of climbing, such as spending more time with his family. "It was the first time in my life that I realized that I love climbing, but I don't need it for my happiness," he said.