Fried fish may be one of the causes of the poor cardiovascular health in the stroke belt of the U.S., roughly defined as eight Southern states (see: Diet: Fried Fish Is Seen as a ‘Stroke Belt’ Culprit). This can't be good news for the Long John Silver fast-food chain. Here are some of the details in an excerpt from the article:
A wide swath of the South has long been known as the "stroke belt" because it has higher rates of stroke and other cardiovascular illnesses than the rest of the country. Now researchers are suggesting one culprit: fried fish. Fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk for stroke, and the American Heart Association recommends at least two fish meals per week. But deep-fat frying destroys these natural fatty acids and replaces them with cooking oil. Scientists writing online in the journal Neurology analyzed the diets of more than 21,000 people nationwide. They found that people in eight stroke belt states — North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana — ate a three-ounce serving of fish an average of twice a week, roughly the same as people elsewhere. But they were 32 percent more likely to have that fish fried. Nationally, African-Americans ate more fish meals than whites, and twice as much fried fish. The lead author of the study, Dr. Fadi Nahab, an assistant professor of neurology at Emory University, said fried fish was only one potential contributor to geographic and racial differences in stroke rate, but added that it stood out. “The No. 1 thing is diet,” he said. “And yet when we look at dietary differences in and out of the stroke belt, it’s hard to find any other than this one.”
I suspect that diet has a lot to do with the "stoke belt" but I am more inclined to focus on the idea of how much fried fish one eats than how how frequently one consumes it. In other words, I would emphasize obesity over the consumption of selected foods. The lead author of the study did emphasize that his research observation teases out only one element in the phenomenon. Here's a quote from an article about the obesity epidemic in the U.S. (see: The Spread of the Obesity Epidemic in the United States, 1991-1998):
The magnitude of the increased prevalence [of obesity] varied by region (ranging from 31.9% for mid Atlantic to 67.2% for South Atlantic, the area with the greatest increases) and by state (ranging from 11.3% for Delaware to 101.8% for Georgia, the state with the greatest increases).
Here are a few selected "stroke facts" from the Internet Stroke Center:
- Of all strokes, 87 percent are ischemic, 10 percent are intracerebral hemorrhage, and 3 percent are subarachnoid hemorrhage.
- From 1995–2005, the stroke death rate fell 29.7 percent and the actual number of stroke deaths declined 13.5 percent.
- The risk of ischemic stroke in current smokers is about double that of nonsmokers after adjustment for other risk factors.
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an independent risk factor for stroke, increasing risk about five-fold.
- High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stroke.
i suspect that there are many obese smokers with high blood pressure in the Southern states who also frequently enjoy a fried fish dinner.
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