Red Meat Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Swedish Women

Abstract

Background and Purpose-High red meat consumption has been associated with increased risk of some cancers and may also be a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, epidemiological studies of red meat consumption in relation to risk of stroke are very limited. Our objective was to examine the association between red meat consumption and stroke incidence in the Swedish Mammography Cohort. Methods-We prospectively followed 34 670 women without cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire on diet and other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in 1997. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate multivariable-adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% CI. Results-During a mean follow-up of 10.4 years, we ascertained 1680 incident cases of stroke, comprising 1310 cerebral infarction, 154 intracerebral hemorrhage, 79 subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 137 unspecified stroke. Total red meat and processed meat consumption was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of cerebral infarction, but not of total stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or subarachnoid hemorrhage. The multivariable RR of cerebral infarction for the highest versus the lowest quintile of consumption were 1.22 (95% CI, 1.01-1.46) for red meat and 1.24 (95% CI, 1.04 -1.49) for processed meat. Fresh (unprocessed) meat consumption was not associated with total stroke or with any stroke subtype. Conclusion-Findings from this study suggest that red and processed meat consumption may increase the risk of cerebral infarction in women. (Stroke. 2011;42:324-329.)

Red Meat Consumption and Risk of Stroke

“…10,14,15,21,22 The eligible studies were published between 2003 and 2012, and included a total of 10 630 stroke cases and 329 495 participants (Supplementary Table 1). Data about subtypes of stroke were presented in 4 articles 14,15,21,22 and contained 6420 cases of ischemic stroke and 1276 cases of hemorrhagic stroke. Two studies were conducted in Europe, 3 (published in 2 articles) were conducted in the United States, and 1 was conducted in Japan.…”

“…Two studies provided results for red meat consumption in grams per day, 3 in servings per day, and 1 in frequency (how often). In 2 articles, stroke events were identified using The International Classification of Diseases 10 th revision, 14,15 in which strokes were classified as ischemic stroke (International Classification of Diseases 10 th revision code I63), hemorrhagic strokes (International Classification of Diseases 10 th revision codes I60 and I61), and unspecific strokes (I64). Bernstein et al 21 classified strokes according to criteria in the National Survey of Stroke.…”

Dairy Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Swedish Women and Men

“…Details about these cohort studies have been described elsewhere. 10,11 Briefly, in the Fall of 1997, 39 227 women and 48 850 men who resided in central Sweden (Uppsala, Västmanland, and Ö rebro counties) completed a 350-item questionnaire about diet and other lifestyle factors. For the current analyses, we excluded participants with an incorrect or a missing National Registration Number, those with very low or high total energy intake (ie, 3 SDs from the log e -transformed mean energy intake; Ͻ579 kcal/day and Ͼ4664 kcal/day in women and Ͻ864 kcal/day and Ͼ7277 kcal/day in men), and those with a history of stroke, coronary heart disease, or cancer at baseline.…”

Healthy diet and lifestyle and risk of stroke in a prospective cohort of women

“…For the present study, we used data from the Swedish Mammography Cohort, which has been described in detail previously. 8 Briefly, in the autumn of 1997, 39,227 women who resided in Uppsala and Västmanland counties, central Sweden, and were born between 1914 and 1948 completed a 350-item questionnaire concerning diet and lifestyle.Standard protocol approvals, registrations, and patient consents. The Regional Ethical Review Board at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, approved this study.…”