Refined Carbohydrates Increase the Risk of Stroke

From: Roman Bystrianyk (rbystrianyk_at_gmail.com)
Date: 02/17/05 

Date: 16 Feb 2005 18:31:11 -0800

http://www.healthsentinel.com/org_news.php?event=org_news_print_list_item&id=024

Roman Bystrianyk, "Refined Carbohydrates Increase the Risk of Stroke",
Health Sentinel, February 16, 2005,

According to the American Heart Association, stroke killed 162,272
people in 2002. It is the third largest cause of death, ranking behind
"diseases of the heart" and all forms of cancer. Stroke is a leading
cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States.

Some of the acknowledged risk factors for stroke are diabetes, high
blood pressure, heart disease, cigarette smoking, transient ischemic
attacks, excessive alcohol intake, and drug use. Now a new study in the
January 2005 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology examines the
relationship between carbohydrate intake and stroke.

High intake of carbohydrates has negative effects on blood fats and
sugar metabolism. Epidemiologic evidence suggests that a diet with a
high glycemic index may increase the risk of diabetes and heart
disease. However, overall dietary carbohydrate is not strongly
correlated to these diseases.

Adverse effects from a diet high in high glycemic carbohydrates are
also greatly increased in the presence of insulin resistance. Insulin
resistance is strongly associated with a greater body mass index (BMI),
and it has also been reported that there is a strong association
between a high dietary glycemic diet and risk of heart disease among
overweight and obese women.

This study that included over 78,000 women in the course of over 18
years showed that a high glycemic diet was positively associated with
the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. The authors also found that this
positive association appeared to be stronger in women with a higher
BMI. The relative risk was found to be 2.05 for hemorrhagic stroke,
which is a similar risk to that was found for high blood pressure at
2.04.

The authors speculate that one possible mechanism to explain the
increase in stroke risk is that diets high in carbohydrate and low in
protein may increase blood pressure, where high blood pressure is a
strong risk factor for stroke. The authors also note that, "high
carbohydrate intake has been associated with a increased C-reactive
protein (a marker of inflammation), probably representing an
exacerbation of insulin resistance, which may be related to higher risk
of stroke."

The study also confirmed risk factors for stroke including smoking,
high blood pressure, diabetes, family history of myocardial infarction,
and BMI. The relative risk for smoking was 3.73 for hemorrhagic stroke
and 3.31 for ischemic stroke; for high blood pressure 2.04 for
hemorrhagic stroke and 2.17 for ischemic stroke; for diabetes 2.11 for
hemorrhagic stroke 1.05 for ischemic stroke; for family history of
myocardial infarction 1.38 for ischemic stroke and 1.18 for hemorrhagic
stroke; and inversely with BMI 0.60 for hemorrhagic stroke and 0.85 for
ischemic stroke.

The authors conclude, "In summary, our results provide evidence that
high intake of refined carbohydrate may increase risk of hemorrhagic
stroke in women and that the deleterious effect is stronger among those
who are overweight or obese. In addition, our data support a benefit of
cereal fiber in preventing hemorrhagic stroke. These findings suggest
that replacing sugar and refined starches with whole-grain, high-fiber
forms of carbohydrate may reduce hemorrhagic stroke, particularly among
women who are overweight or obese."

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, January 2005

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Refined Carbohydrates Increase the Risk of Stroke
    ... >> According to the American Heart Association, stroke killed 162,272 ... >> Some of the acknowledged risk factors for stroke are diabetes, ... >> relationship between carbohydrate intake and stroke. ... The relative risk was found to be 2.05 for hemorrhagic stroke, ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Refined Carbohydrates Increase the Risk of Stroke
    ... >> According to the American Heart Association, stroke killed 162,272 ... >> Some of the acknowledged risk factors for stroke are diabetes, ... >> relationship between carbohydrate intake and stroke. ... The relative risk was found to be 2.05 for hemorrhagic stroke, ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)
  • Refined Carbohydrates Increase the Risk of Stroke
    ... Roman Bystrianyk, "Refined Carbohydrates Increase the Risk of Stroke", ... overall dietary carbohydrate is not strongly ... The relative risk was found to be 2.05 for hemorrhagic stroke, ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Refined Carbohydrates Increase the Risk of Stroke
    ... > Some of the acknowledged risk factors for stroke are diabetes, ... > relationship between carbohydrate intake and stroke. ... The relative risk was found to be 2.05 for hemorrhagic stroke, ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Refined Carbohydrates Increase the Risk of Stroke
    ... > Some of the acknowledged risk factors for stroke are diabetes, ... > relationship between carbohydrate intake and stroke. ... The relative risk was found to be 2.05 for hemorrhagic stroke, ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)