More than 795,000 people have a stroke every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The accidents can lead to limitations in communication, paralysis, and sometimes death. Common recommendations for avoiding strokes include regular exercise and a healthy diet, and thanks to new research, we can get even more specific about what type of diet could protect the brain.

A study published in the journal Neurology found vegetarian diets lowered the risk of stroke compared to people who ate meat and fish.

Researchers from Tzu Chi University in Hualien, Taiwan, studied two different communities, both of which encouraged vegetarian diets. About 30% of participants in each group were vegetarian, meaning they ate dairy and eggs but avoided meat and fish.

The first group consisted of more than 5,000 adults who were followed for six years, and the second group consisted of more than 8,000 adults who were followed for nine years. At the start of the study, participants were 50 years old on average and had not experienced a stroke.

After the six and nine years had passed, researchers analyzed the Taiwanese national database to decipher the number of participants who had at least one stroke in that time.

Of the smaller group, 32 people experienced ischemic strokes and only three of them were vegetarians. Within the larger group, only 0.88% of vegetarians experienced ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes, while 1.73% of nonvegetarians had at least one.

See the rest here:
This Diet May Reduce The Risk Of Stroke & Dementia - mindbodygreen.com