The fear of stroke — when a blood vessel in or leading to the brain bursts or is blocked by a blood clot, starving brain cells of oxygen and nutrients — is well founded. Stroke is the number-three killer in the world, affecting more than 700,000 people each year.
Here are just some of the foods that may cause the type of damage that can lead to a stroke
Red Meat
The journal Stroke recently published a study showing that consuming a large portion of red meat each day led to a 42-percent higher incidence of stroke. You may already know that eating food high in saturated fat isn’t good for you, but you probably didn’t know that it increased your stroke chances by nearly 50%.
Why: Researchers have long known that the saturated fat clogs arteries with a buildup of protein plaques. But in addition, hemoglobin, the ingredient that gives red meat its high iron content, may pose a specific danger when it comes to stroke. Researchers are investigating whether blood becomes thicker and more viscous as a result of the consumption of so-called heme iron, specifically upping the chance of strokes.
Eat right: Aim to substitute more poultry (particularly white meat) and fish, which are low in heme iron, for red meat. Also, choose the heart-healthiest sources of protein whenever you can, particularly beans, legumes, nuts, tofu, and nonfat dairy.