A new study conducted by the Women's Health Initiative, and revealed at the American Stroke Association conference in San Antonio on Wednesday February 24th 2010, indicates that women raise their risk of a stroke by consuming a diet high in fats. The study focused on post menopausal women.
The Women's Health Initiative
The Women's Health Initiative was established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1991 and looks at the quality of life and causes of disability and death in post menopausal women (predominately women over the age of 50).
What the Women's Health Initiative Study indicates
The Women's Health Initiative study was carried out on women between the ages of 50 and 79 and conducted out over a number of years; by recording what women ate and how much fat was part of their diet, researchers then assessed which women had suffered a stroke through clogged blood vessels to the brain (one of the most common causes of a stroke). Other factors such as exercise, weight, smoking, medication and ethnicity were taken into account too; the results of the study indicated that women who ate a diet high in fats had a 44 percent greater risk of a stroke than women who ate less fats.
Foods high in fat
There are several types of fats; fats which are considered 'high risk' include trans-fat foods such as:
- some types of margarine
- fried food
- cookies
- crackers
- many 'fast food' chain foods including Burger King, Jack in the Box, McDonalds, Dairy Queen and KFC (although some of these companies are now trying to introduce 'healthier' menu choices)
- French fries
- dough nuts
- pastries.
'Healthier' fats such as vegetable oils, fish, seeds and nuts are recommended in place of high risk fats and the American Heart Association recommends that trans fats should make up less than one percent of total calories intake.
CopyrightSharonFalsetto2010
Comments
What you fail to mention is that according to the study almost all of the increased risk was accounted for by consumption of trans-fats. Trans-fats in turn are not a "food" at all in the sense that they occur in nature to any appreciable degree. They are a consequence of the mass produced, commercialized, introduction of laboratory chemicals into diet under the guise of "food". Fats and oils aren't bad for you in moderation, to the contrary there is mounting evidence -to the dismay of the processed food business interests that they have health benefits. The laboratory creation of trans-fatty acids as a food preservative, yes they increase inflammation and have health risks as noted in this recent study.
healthjournalclub.blogspot.com
Yes, please don't lump all fats together. That's like saying women who ate food had a higher incidence of stroke. If nature didn't intend for us to eat fat, it wouldn't be in nuts, seeds, vegetables,fruits, meats and our brain matter wouldn't consist of 60& fat!
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