According to the results of a new study, a high fat diet is an important indicator of increased risk of stroke in women post menopause.

This risk is further elevated by trans fat or hydrogenated fat, that is commonly present in items like cookies, cakes, stick margarine, fried foods, crackers, and pastries.

Dr. Emil Matarese, stroke chief at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Penn. stated, "It's a tremendous increase that is potentially avoidable. What's bad for the heart is bad for the brain."

A large study to explore the diet-stroke association
In an effort to explore the association between diet and risk of stroke, the researchers reviewed over 87,000 participants in the Women’s Health Initiative between the ages of 50 and 79 years.

All the subjects furnished details on their diet including the fat intake at the onset of the study. They were then segregated into four groups based on their fat consumption and tracked for a period of seven years.

Outcome of the study
At the close of the study, the participants were examined to see how many had suffered a stroke.

The investigators observed that after taking into account factors like exercise, weight, smoking, medication, and ethnicity, women who ate a diet high in fats had a 44 percent greater risk of having a stroke as opposed to those who ate less fat.

The researchers noted that 288 women with the highest intakes of total fat, (an average of 85-95 grams a day) had an ischemic stroke caused by blockages in the blood vessels that supply the brain.

Additionally, the risk of stroke was 30 percent higher in those who consumed seven grams of trans fat daily.

A word of advice
Matarese advises people to be vigilant of the hidden fats in baked goods.

He added, "We need to look at the labels on the foods we buy. This is a simple way that any woman, especially postmenopausal women, can improve their health. Simply avoiding fried foods is a big one."

The American Heart Association cautions average middle aged woman to limit fat intake to less than 25 to 35 percent of total calories, and trans fat to less than one percent.

On the other hand, healthier fats that come from nuts, seeds, fish, and vegetable oils should be preferred.

Results of the research were reported Wednesday at an American Stroke Association conference in San Antonio.