Saturated fat consumption is associated with a reduced risk of stroke

This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association 1997 Dec 24-31;278(24):2145-50

Study title and authors:

Inverse association of dietary fat with development of ischemic stroke in men.
Gillman MW, Cupples LA, Millen BE, Ellison RC, Wolf PA.
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA 02215, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9417007

 

The objective of the study was to examine the association of stroke incidence with the intake of fat and type of fat among middle-aged men. The study included 832 men, aged 45 to 65 years who were followed for 20 years.

 

The study found:

(a) For every 3% increase in fat consumption the men had a 15% reduced risk of stroke.

(b) For every 1% increase in saturated fat consumption the men had a 9% reduced risk of stroke.

 

The study reveals that total fat and saturated fat consumption are associated with a reduced risk of stroke in men.

High saturated fat diets reduce the risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage

This study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology 2003 Jan 1;157(1):32-9

Study title and authors:

Fat and protein intakes and risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage among middle-aged Japanese.

Iso H, Sato S, Kitamura A, Naito Y, Shimamoto T, Komachi Y.

Department of Public Health Medicine, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki-ken, Japan. fvgh5640@mb.infoweb.ne.jp

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12505888

The study examined the relationship between intakes of saturated fat and animal protein and the risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage. (An intraparenchymal hemorrhage is a type of stroke where bleeding occurs within the brain tissue). The study lasted for 14 years and included 4,775 participants aged 40-69 years.

The study found:
(a) Those who consumed the most fat had a 54% reduced risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage compared to those who consumed the least fat.
(b) Those who consumed the most saturated fat had a 70% reduced risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage compared to those who consumed the least saturated fat.
(c) Those who consumed the most cholesterol had a 29% reduced risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage compared to those who consumed the least cholesterol.
(d) Those who consumed the most animal protein had a 40% reduced risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage compared to those who consumed the least animal protein.

The results of the study show that a high consumption of saturated fat and foods of animal origin reduce the risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhage.

A massive increase in animal fat consumption is associated with a large fall in death rates from strokes

This post includes a summary of a study published in Stroke Vol 13, 574-581 1982

Study title and authors:
Secular trends in mortality for cerebrovascular diseases in Japan, 1960 to 1979
H Tanaka, Y Tanaka, M Hayashi, Y Ueda, C Date, T Baba, H Shoji, T Horimoto and K Owada

This paper can be accessed at: http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/13/5/574.abstract

This paper examined the death rates from stroke in Japan and the change in dietary habits from 1960 to 1979.
 
The study found:
(a) Compared to 1960, deaths from stroke had reduced by over 40% in 1979.
(b) Compared to 1960, carbohydrate consumption had reduced by 21% in 1979.
(c) Compared to 1960, animal protein consumption had increased by 59% in 1979.
(d) Compared to 1960, animal fat consumption had increased by 333% in 1979.
 
To conclude: In 20 years deaths from stroke have decreased by 40%, whilst animal fat consumption has increased by 333% in Japan.

Dietary fat intake is associated with a 9% reduction in stroke risk

This post includes a summary of a study published in the British Medical Journal 2003 Oct 4;327(7418):777-82 and a recipe for pinchos morunos.

Study title and authors:
Dietary fat intake and risk of stroke in male US healthcare professionals: 14 year prospective cohort study.

Books:

He K, Merchant A, Rimm EB, Rosner BA, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Ascherio A.

Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. hpkhe@channing.harvard.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14525873

The objective of thestudy was to examine the association between intake of total fat, specific types of fat, and cholesterol and risk of stroke in men. The study consisted of 43,732 men aged 40-75 years who were free from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and were followed for 14 years.

The study found that fat intake was associated with a 9 per cent reduction in stroke risk and that cholesterol, red meats, high fat dairy products, nuts, and eggs were also not related to risk of stroke.

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Recipe of the day

Pinchos Morunos

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Pork

3.25lb (~1.5 kg) pork

2 tsp (~10ml) cumin seeds
2 tsp (~10ml) coriander seeds
4tst (~20ml) paprika
6 cloves fine chopped garlic
2 tsp (~10ml) dried oregano
4 tbsp (~60ml) lime juice
.75 cup (~.20l) lard

Instructions:
Using a mortar and pestle, grind the seeds and place into a large bowl. Into the large bowl, add the oregano, paprika, garlic, some salt & pepper, and combine with the liquids. Goopy. Cut the pork into cubes and toss to coat in the bowl. Once coated, let it marinate somewhere cool and sanitary for at least 2 hours. Soak wooden skewers in water during this time. Thread meat on skewers and place on ripping-hot grill for about 6 min a side. Eat hot on the stick. We had ours with grilled asparagus.

Pinchos Morunos



Increased saturated fat consumption and lower rates of heart disease and stroke

This post includes a summary of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol 61, 1351S-1359S
Study title and authors:

How could changes in diet explain changes in coronary heart disease mortality in Spain? The Spanish paradox

L Serra-Majem, L Ribas, R Tresserras, J Ngo and L Salleras

Department of Public Health, University of Barcelona, Spain.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/61/6/1351S

This paper reviewed and compared trends in coronary heart disease and stroke mortality in Spain from 1966 to 1990 and changes in food consumption.

The review found:
(a) Rates of heart disease deaths fell.
(b) Rates of stroke death fell.
(c) There was an increase in meat consumption.
(d) There was a decrease in carbohydrate consumption.
(e) Fat and saturated fat intakes increased.

This review shows that an increase in consumption of saturated fat and meat, together with a decrease in consumption of carbohydrate led to lower rates of heart disease and stroke.