A recent long-term study indicates that dietary choices significantly influence stroke risk in women, particularly as they age and post-menopause, reports BritPanorama.
Stroke remains a leading cause of death among women, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that one in five women aged 55 to 75 will experience a stroke.
The study published in Neurology Open Access, a journal of the American Academy of Neurology, highlights the Mediterranean diet as a potentially effective measure in reducing stroke risk.
This diet emphasizes the consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, olive oil, nuts, and fish, while advising moderation in meat and dairy intake and encouraging limited alcohol consumption.
Investigating the effects of the Mediterranean diet
The research involved over 105,000 women from the California Teachers Study, which commenced in 1995. Participants were all public school educators or members of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, aged between 38 and 67 at the outset.
At the beginning, women completed an extensive food questionnaire detailing their eating habits over the preceding year. Researchers analyzed these responses to assess diet patterns, implementing a 9-point scoring system to measure adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
Scores reflected lifestyle choices that favored more vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, olive oil, and fish, while penalizing higher meat and dairy consumption, alongside gauging moderate alcohol intake.
After a follow-up period of 20.5 years, findings revealed that participants adhering to the Mediterranean diet exhibited a notably lower risk of all stroke types. Specifically, these women faced an 18% reduction in overall stroke risk, with a 16% decrease in the risk of ischemic strokes and a remarkable 25% lower risk for hemorrhagic strokes.
Findings reinforce existing evidence
Previous research has linked the Mediterranean diet to reduced risks for various health issues, including dementia, gum disease, depression, breast cancer, and diabetes.
Dr. Andrew Freeman, a preventive cardiologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, acknowledged the long-established benefits of this dietary approach, emphasizing the consistency of its health advantages across diverse populations.
Freeman remarked that practitioners frequently reference the PREDIMED study, which documented significant reductions in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events among those following a Mediterranean diet, particularly in stroke prevention. “It’s really no surprise that another study of a different population shows similar reductions in stroke,” he noted.
Dr. Sophia Wang, a senior author of the current study, expressed surprise at the notable decrease in hemorrhagic stroke risk, highlighting the novelty of dietary benefits in this area. “Lifestyle factors are known to influence ischemic stroke risk, but the dietary benefit for hemorrhagic stroke is a new finding,” she stated.
Wang emphasized the study’s implications for aging women, underscoring that stroke risk escalates post-menopause. “Our study shows that there are things one can do to minimize that risk, such as adhering to a healthy diet such as the Mediterranean diet,” she added.
Study limitations and big-picture implications
While Freeman acknowledged certain study limitations, including the lack of tracking dietary changes over time, he maintained that these constraints do not detract from the emerging evidence supporting the Mediterranean diet.
He concluded, “This is another study in a long line of well-done research showing that a predominantly low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet is one of the best ways to prevent a wide range of diseases, particularly cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.”
The ongoing analysis underscores the significance of dietary choices in public health discourse as researchers continue to explore the interconnectedness of nutrition, lifestyle, and long-term health outcomes.
