Low intake of saturated fat associated with increased stroke risk

This post includes a summary of a study published in Circulation 2001;103:856

Study title and authors:
Prospective Study of Fat and Protein Intake and Risk of Intraparenchymal Hemorrhage in Women
Hiroyasu Iso, MD; Meir J. Stampfer, MD; JoAnn E. Manson, MD; Kathryn Rexrode, MD; Frank B. Hu, MD; Charles H. Hennekens, MD; Graham A. Colditz, MBBS; Frank E. Speizer, MD; Walter C. Willett, MD
Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass

This paper can be accessed at: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/6/856
 
This study investigated the association of saturated fat and animal protein with the risk of intraparenchymal (bleeding in the superficial surface of the brain) hemorrhage. The study included 85,764 women, aged 34 to 59 years, who were followed for a total of 1.16 million person-years.

The study found:
(a) Women who consumed the most saturated fat had a 27% reduced risk of intraparenchymal haemorrhage compared to women who consumed the least saturated fat.
(b) Women who consumed the most animal protein had a 53% reduced risk of intraparenchymal haemorrhage compared to women who consumed the least animal protein.

Iso concluded: "Low intake of saturated fat and animal protein was associated with an increased risk of intraparenchymal haemorrhage."

Links to other studies:
A high consumption of animal fat and cholesterol is associated with a REDUCED risk of stroke death
Increased saturated fat consumption and lower rates of heart disease and stroke
A massive increase in animal fat consumption is associated with a large fall in death rates from strokes