Fast food zip codes tied to stroke

February 20, 2:10 PMNutrition ExaminerAnnie Kay

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  Most of us eat what's available. Photo

Reuters reports today on a study that suggests people who live in neighborhoods packed with fast-food restaurants are more likely to suffer strokes. Steps to prevent stroke are similar to those to maintain heart health.

A stroke is sometimes referred to as a "brain attack", when either a vessel carrying blood to the brain bursts, or a clot blocks blood flow to the brain. It is a sudden onset condition and is life-threatening. Stroke is the No. 3 killer in the United States (behind heart disease and cancer). The CDC estimates 780,000 will have strokes in the US this year. Strokes will kill 150,000 people and leave 15 percent to 30 percent of survivors permanently disabled.

Researchers described one example from their study where residents of one Texas county who live in neighborhoods with the highest number of fast-food restaurants had a 13 percent higher risk of experiencing a stroke than those in neighborhoods with the fewest such restaurants.

The study, presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference on Thursday, doesn't prove living near fast-food restaurants raises the risk of stroke, but it does suggest the two are linked.

"The data show a true association," Dr. Lewis Morgenstern of the University of Michigan's stroke program, who led the study, said in a statement. "We need to start unraveling why these particular communities have higher stroke risks," Morgenstern said. "Is it direct consumption of fast food? Is it the lack of more healthy options? Is there something completely different in these neighborhoods that is associated with poor health?" he asked.

Study residents suffered a total of 1,247 ischemic strokes during that time, most caused by a blocked artery that stops bloodflow to the brain.

Experts say public health efforts should focus on fast-food dense neighborhoods as areas for stroke prevention programs. "We need to consider targeting communities that have a lot of fast-food restaurants as places where we can improve health," Morgenstern said.