Food intake and acute ischemic stroke. Multicenter case-control study

Abstract

Introduction: Diet is one of the factors associated to stroke, with a particular impact on different populations. Objective: To assess the association between food intake and ischemic strokes in a sample of adult patients in Colombia. Materials and methods: Case (n=357) and controls (n=348) study, with incident cases of acute ischemic stroke. Food intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) using logistic regression models. Results: Ten foods associated with acute ischemic stroke were identified. According to the proposed scale (number of models with significant association), only one food was placed in the strong association category (hen), four in the weak association category (chocolate, wheat flour, lard, avocado) and five in the suspected association category (chicken with skin, skinless chicken, rice, arracacha, cassava). Conclusions: Consumption of drinking chocolate (prepared with milk and composed of 70% sugar and 30% cocoa), avocado, and skinless chicken may suggest a protective effect, while high intake of wheat flour, chicken, lard, canned tuna in water, rice, chicken with skin, arracacha and cassava may increase the risk of acute ischemic stroke.