High Fat Diet Does Not Raise Stroke Risk


New research suggests that eating a high-fat diet does not increase the risk of having a stroke. Dr Ka He of Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues examined data obtained from 43,732 healthy middle-aged men over a period of 14 years. The researchers were not able to find any link between dietary fat and stroke risk, thus leading them to conclude that blood cholesterol is probably not an important indicator of stroke. The most important risk factor for stroke is high blood pressure, thus eating healthily maintaining a normal body weight, and getting plenty of exercise are the best ways of reducing stroke risk. The American Stroke Association estimates that 700,000 US citizens have a stroke each year.

SOURCE/REFERENCE: BMJ 2003;327:777-782.

These longitudinal studies are usually a good way to tease out these factors. And I agree about the high blood pressure...though this is only anecdotal evidence, all the people I know who had strokes had high blood pressure problems, sometimes for many years prior to the stroke.
This makes me feel especially perky about my own blood pressure, which was edging up as I got older, and is now "optimum." Hoo rah!

Me:

2 strokes at age 30. (At least - those are the strokes that occured in the ICU that I can document. The long transatlantic flight just before that may have caused others I can't prove.)

Essential HPB since age 23. ("Essential" meaning I had HBP when I was young, thin, an active athlete, and low-fat.)

I'm 44 1/2 now - and hanging in there despite doubling my weight since age 23 and having to relearn how to walk after my strokes.

How's your BP since LCing?

Val

Still under control - I've actually been able to drop my diuretic from my complicated daily meds.

Problem is, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Illinois just de-listed Avapro as an approved med (as of 1/1/04). That means I have to reshuffle all my meds - always a dangerous, complicated mess - or pay out-of-pocket. I'm going to appeal, but my odds are lousy.

Anyway, as far as I can tell, my BP (and my lipids) have been better under LC, despite my dubious genetics and my fondness for beer.