Fast food proximity ups stroke risk
A new study has revealed that residing in neighborhoods packed with fast food restaurants could increase your risk for stroke by 13 percent.
The study was carried out by Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern, a professor of neurology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and funded by the US National Institutes of Health.
"The only thing we are certain about is, if you live in a neighborhood with a high fast food restaurant concentration, you are at increased risk," Morgenstern said.
He further pointed out that anyone moving to a new locale should pay attention to the neighborhood.
The research team found 1,247 cases of ischemic stroke in Nueces County in Texas from January 2000 through June 2003.
An ischemic stroke is death of an area of brain tissue (cerebral infarction) resulting from an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen to the brain due to blockage of an artery.
"This suggests that diet and lifestyle factors are important for stroke prevention," said Dr. Dean Johnston, a clinical assistant professor of neurology at the University of British Columbia.
The American Heart Association says about 780,000 people suffer a new or a recurrent stroke each year.
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