Health News
By Molly Burchett
Kentucky Health News
People with a Southern diet, or one heavy on fried food and sugary drinks like sweet tea and soft drinks, are more likely to suffer a stroke, a new study finds.
It's the first big look at diet and strokes, and researchers say it might help explain people in the nation's "stroke belt" or southern states suffer more of them, reports Marilynn Marchione of The Associated Press.
These findings have important implications for Kentuckians because stroke accounts for 5.5 percent of Kentucky deaths each year and more than 81 percent of Kentucky adults eat fruit and vegetables fewer than 5 times a day, which is a indicator of risk for stroke:
"We're talking about fried foods, french fries, hamburgers, processed meats, hot dogs," bacon, ham, liver, gizzards and sugary drinks, said the study's leader, Suzanne Judd of the University of Alabama in Birmingham. For the study, a southern diet also included jerky, red meat, eggs, and whole milk.
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Health News
First major study of diet and strokes links fried, sugary Southern diet, low on fruits and vegetables, to increased risk
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| Genuine Kentucky fried platter: Cornbread, fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, fried apples and fried okra (Photo from Ramsey's, Lexington) |
Kentucky Health News
People with a Southern diet, or one heavy on fried food and sugary drinks like sweet tea and soft drinks, are more likely to suffer a stroke, a new study finds.
It's the first big look at diet and strokes, and researchers say it might help explain people in the nation's "stroke belt" or southern states suffer more of them, reports Marilynn Marchione of The Associated Press.
These findings have important implications for Kentuckians because stroke accounts for 5.5 percent of Kentucky deaths each year and more than 81 percent of Kentucky adults eat fruit and vegetables fewer than 5 times a day, which is a indicator of risk for stroke:
Heart Disease and Stroke Risk Factors from federal Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System national survey | Ky. | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Eat fruits and vegetables less than 5 times/day | 81.6 | 75.6 |
| Overweight or obese | 69.1 | 62.9 |
| No moderate or vigorous physical activity | 55.8 | 50.5 |
| High total blood cholesterol | 38.5 | 37.6 |
| High blood pressure | 30.0 | 27.8 |
| Cigarette smoking | 28.2 | 19.8 |
| Diabetes | 9.9 | 8.0 |
"We're talking about fried foods, french fries, hamburgers, processed meats, hot dogs," bacon, ham, liver, gizzards and sugary drinks, said the study's leader, Suzanne Judd of the University of Alabama in Birmingham. For the study, a southern diet also included jerky, red meat, eggs, and whole milk.
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???????????Fried foods tend to be eaten with lots of salt, which raises blood pressure and sweet drinks increases risk for diabetes- both are known stroke risk factors, Judd said.
People who ate about six meals a week featuring these sorts of "Southern" foods had a 41 percent higher stroke risk than people who ate that way about once a month, researchers found.
???????????Fried foods tend to be eaten with lots of salt, which raises blood pressure and sweet drinks increases risk for diabetes- both are known stroke risk factors, Judd said.
People who ate about six meals a week featuring these sorts of "Southern" foods had a 41 percent higher stroke risk than people who ate that way about once a month, researchers found.
In contrast, people whose diets were high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish had a 29 percent lower stroke risk, reports Marchione.
"It's a very big difference," Judd said. "The message for people in the middle is there's a graded risk" ? the likelihood of suffering a stroke rises in proportion to each Southern meal in a week.
These findings were reported last week at the American Stroke Association conference. The study was launched in 2002 to explore regional variations in stroke risks and reasons for them.
Stroke death rates in Kentucky vary widely among counties. Here's a county map of the rates, from KentuckyHealthFacts.org, which has a county-by county list:
The map shows stroke rates in ranges per 100,000 population from 2003 through 2007. Purple counties had rates above 69; blue counties ranged from 52 to 69; turquoise were 44 to 52; light blue were 31 to 44 (the number that is about the national average), and tan were 18 to 31.
Stroke death rates in Kentucky vary widely among counties. Here's a county map of the rates, from KentuckyHealthFacts.org, which has a county-by county list:
- Researchers: Trans Fats, Not Saturated Fats, Are Linked To Greater Risk Of Heart Disease; But No Reason To Eat More Butter And Meat
Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., found that trans fats are linked with greater risk of coronary heart disease and death, but saturated fats are not associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke, death, or Type...
- Most Women Are Unaware Of Female-specific Stroke Symptoms And Risks, According To A National Survey By Ohio State
Most women are unaware of the symptoms and risks of stroke for females, according to a national survey by the Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. The survey found that just 11 percent of the 1,000 respondents knew that pregnancy, lupus,...
- Study Shows That Removing A Clot That Causes A Stroke Leaves Victims With Higher Functional Independence
In Kentucky, strokes cause about 5 percent of deaths, and the state had the 11th highest stroke mortality rate in 2009, according to data from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Fewer than 40 percent of severe stroke victims regain functional...
- Study: American Children's Diets Will Cause Early Heart Disease; Kentucky Kids Seem To Be On The Same Track
Kentucky Health News A study shows that American kids are eating themselves toward early heart disease. The study, published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, looked at a nationally representative group of children and...
- Kentuckians Can Act To Protect Against Heart Disease And Stroke; Half Of Preventable Deaths Occur In Adults Age 65 Or Younger
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News Nearly one on three deaths in the U.S. each year is caused by heart disease and stroke. At least 200,000 of these deaths are preventable, and nearly half of those preventable deaths are of people under 65, says a...