One Risk of Having a Stroke – Where You Live!

There have been a several recent news items that address different factors that increase or decrease the risk of having a stroke. One of them deals with the discovery that the risk of stroke is related to the number of fast-food restaurants in the neighborhood. This was presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2009.

Eating-out numbers are rising, and, in this recession, prices often dominate the choice of restaurant. More and more people are patronizing fast-food establishments. And that, apparently, may carry an increased risk of stroke. A University of Michigan study found that residents of neighborhoods with the highest number of fast-food restaurants had a 13% higher risk of having a stroke compared to those living in areas with the lowest number of fast-food establishments. The actual risk of stroke increased 1% for each fast-food restaurant in the neighborhood.

This association doesn’t prove that fast-food causes stroke. There are two possibilities – first, that fast food places contribute to the risk of having a stroke, or fast-food restaurants are located (due to business demographic considerations) in places where people liable to have a stroke actually live. (It’s well known that an unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, lack of exercise, too much alcohol, not enough fruit and veggies) is likely to double the risk of having a stroke. And people living this way might be more likely to patronize a fast-food restaurant if one was available.)

Seems to me the availability of fast food is sufficient temptation to encourage its consumption, so that the risk of a poor diet is higher in a neighborhood with plenty of fast-food choices. Far more serious, to my mind, is the news that there is less awareness of the 5 warning signs of having a stroke, as immediate treatment is critical in determining the seriousness of the final outcome.