Researchers present at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference revealed that the number of fast food restaurants in one area influences people’s risk of having a stroke.

 

According to the American Heart Association, about 780,000 people suffer a new or a recurrent stroke every year, and most of them are ischemic in which blood vessels become clogged.

 

The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Michigan of Public Health led by Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern, a professor of neurology. They gathered data on stroke cases in Nueces County, Texas and found 1,247 cases from January 2000 through June 2003. Then, they counted the number of fast-food restaurants in the county and found there were 262.

 

Using US Census Bureau demographic and socioeconomic data, they split the city into 64 neighborhoods to determine the number of fast-food restaurants in each neighborhood.

 

The researchers found that areas with the highest number of restaurants were associated with a 13% elevated risk of ischemic stroke. Also, the relative risk of the deadly stroke rose by one percent for each additional fast-food restaurant in a neighborhood.

 

“The data showed a true association or definite relationship, between unhealthy food and stroke. What we don't know is whether fast food actually increased the risk because of its contents, or whether fast-food restaurants are a marker of unhealthy neighborhoods,” Morgenstern said.

 

The finding is no surprise to health care experts who have been saying for years that fast food dishes are the number one enemy for most people’s health. Ingredients in fast food dishes raise the risk of obesity especially in children who are tempted the most by TV commercials, colleagues and friends. In fact, the US is confronting with a desperate situation as more than 20 percent of all children suffer from obesity, which is known to raise the risk for diabetes and heart disease later in life.