How different foods affect the risk of different types of stroke

During this time, a total of “4,281 incident cases of fatal or nonfatal ischemic stroke, 1,430 cases of hemorrhagic stroke, and 7,378 cases of total stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic, and unspecified combined)” occurred.The researchers used statistical tools to estimate hazard ratios over the follow-up period for “ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke associated with consumption of red and processed meat, poultry, fish, dairy foods, eggs, cereals, fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, and dietary fiber.”Overall, the research found that a higher intake of either fruit, vegetables, fiber, milk, cheese, or yogurt was associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke but not with that of hemorrhagic stroke. The study’s first author comments on the findings, saying, “The most important finding is that higher consumption of both dietary fiber and fruit and vegetables was strongly associated with lower risks of ischemic stroke, which supports current European guidelines.” “The general public should be recommended to increase their fiber and fruit and vegetable consumption, if they are not already meeting these guidelines.” – Tammy Tong, first authorIn the U.S., the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend four servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables per day. First author Tong further comments on what makes this research important and reliable.She says, “Our study also highlights the importance of examining stroke subtypes separately, as the dietary associations differ for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and is consistent with other evidence, which shows that other risk factors, such as cholesterol levels or obesity, also influence the two stroke subtypes differently.”The large number of people included in the study and the long follow-up period are further strengths of the study, write the authors, along with the inclusion of major food groups and the statistical adjustment for several important confounders.