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A fatty
acid found in vegetable oils and soybeans may help reduce
the risk of strokes, according to a report in the August issue
of Stroke.
Japanese
researchers led by Dr. Hiroyasu Iso, a professor at the University
of Tsukuba, believe that linoleic acid may lower blood pressure
and improve circulation in small blood vessels, thereby reducing
the risk of stroke caused by blood clots.
The researchers
examined frozen blood samples from 7,450 Japanese men and
women, aged 40 to 85 years. The linoleic acid consumption
of the group ranged from 9.5 to 13.3 grams per day group.
The group also suffered a total of 197 strokes, including
122 from clotting.
Researchers
found that a five percent increase of linoleic acid was associated
with a 28 percent reduction in total stroke risk, a 34 percent
reduction in ischemic stroke and a 19 percent reduction in
hemorrhagic stroke.
"When
we adjusted for other fatty acids, these associations become
weak, but the association between linoleic acid and the stroke
risk persisted," said Iso.
The authors
say that a clinical trial is necessary to confirm the causality
between linoleic acid intake and risk of ischemic stroke.
Source:
Hypertension
Week of August 4, 2002
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