Mediterranean diet has been found to be beneficial for the health of the heart. This has been revealed in a study completed recently. Another study has revealed that a Mediterranean Diet could also reduce one’s risk of suffering a stroke.
The research has been able to explain why people who follow a strictly Mediterranean diet are less likely to suffer ischemic stroke as compared to others.
Dr. Paul Wright, chair of neurology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY told Health Day, “Overall, there is strong evidence, based on this study, that strict adherence to a Mediterranean diet significantly reduces stroke risk”.
Dr. Paul Wright however was quick to add that the study did not identify a solid cause-and-effect relationship between the diet and a reduced stroke risk but the effect they noticed was worth considering.
The study involved the careful analysis of data from more than 104,000 teachers in California, with an average age of 52 years. The subjects of the study were divided into five groups based on the fact that how strictly they adhered to a Mediterranean Diet schedule.
The Mediterranean Diet consists of an excess of fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, whole grains, fish, lean poultry and plenty of olive oil while it limits the consumption of red meats, dairy, sugar and saturated fats.
It was revealed in the study that women who followed a strictly Mediterranean diet regimen which includes a lot of vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats and low in meat, dairy and sugar — had a lower risk of ischemic, but not hemorrhagic stroke
According to stroke neurologist Ayesha Sherzai, MD, of Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, the analysis of data of the prospective California Teachers Study designed to check the dietary patterns and breast cancer risk, found that following a Mediterranean diet reduced ischemic stroke risk by up to 18%. Even after adjusting for factors which increased the risk like physical activity, smoking status, and cardiovascular risk factors, women on a strictly Mediterranean Diet had a lower risk of ischemic stroke.
Sherzai said, “With stroke being one of the biggest disease burdens in the U.S. and throughout the world, and treatments not being as extensive as we would like them to be, diet is a risk factor that people can control,”.
The California Teachers Study had enrolled 133,500 female teachers from across the state. All were recruited in 1994 and at recruitment the women filled out baseline lifestyle questionnaires, which included detailed information about their eating habits.
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