Drinking hot beverages in the morning, whether it's tea or coffee, a part of the daily routine of many people. Simple habits turned out to help us reduce the risk of stroke.
A study of 83,000 people in Japan showed that those who frequently drank green tea or coffee per day had a risk of stroke 20 percent lower. Even the protective effect against certain types of stroke is greater.
"If you can not change your lifestyle, try to prevent stroke by regularly drinking green tea every day," said Dr.Yoshihiro Kokubo of National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan.
Although it was not clear why coffee and tea had the effect of preventing stroke, but according to Kokubo it may be associated with the ingredients in these drinks that keep blood clots.
In addition, green tea contains catechins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Some of the substances in coffee, such as chlorogenic acid also reduces the risk of stroke by lowering the risk of diabetes mellitus.
The content of caffeine in coffee also have an effect on cholesterol levels and blood pressure. It also led to changes in insulin sensitivity that affect blood sugar.
Even so, according to Dr.Ralph Sacco, a former American Heart Association priseden, such as the type of research conducted Kokubo can not accurately ascertain whether the reduction in stroke risk was indeed derived from the consumption of coffee and tea.
"The link is visible from such studies are limited in their ability to indicate whether content in coffee, tea, or indeed the lifestyle of the respondents who have a protective effect," says Sacco.
Elderly people who consume olive oil have a lower risk of stroke than those who did not drink, researchers said in a study released on Wednesday (15/6) in the United States.
Some scientists at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Bordeaux, France, following the development of the 7625 French people aged 65 years and above, of the three major cities - Bordeaux, Dijon and Montpellier - for five years.
During the study, there were 148 people who had a stroke. Research object is divided into several groups according to their actions using olive oil, from people who do not use them at all until they are used in serving food, cooking and baking.
When the researchers adjusted for factors such as body weight, physical activity and food overall, they found they were called olive oil users "intensive" had a 41 percent lower risk of having a stroke than those who never consume olive oil.
"Our research shows a new series of food advice should be issued to prevent stroke in people aged 65 years and above," said the study's lead author, Cecilia Samieri, as reported by AFP.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, a neurologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York who wrote an editorial published with the study, said: "We need to remember this is an observational study."
The study found an association between the use of olive oil by humans and they face the risk of stroke, says Scarmeas told Reuters Health, which monitored ANTARA here on Thursday. But, he said, it does not necessarily translate into causality.
"People who consume olive oil may be very different from people who do not use it," said Scarmeas. Users olive oil, for example, may have higher incomes, eat better overall or more exercise than those who never consume olive oil.
The researchers in the new study, led by Cecilia Samieri, tried to account for that difference. And once they did, it proved oil zaitu linked to lower risk of stroke.
But Scarmeas said that was unlikely to fully account for all the variables. What is needed, he says, is a clinical trial, the object of study were randomly assigned to use olive oil or not, then followed its development from time to time to see who suffered a stroke.
Such clinical trials are seen as the "gold standard" of medical evidence.
"Stroke is common among older people and olive oil would be an easy and inexpensive way to help prevent it," said Cecilia Samieri.
The findings are published in the journal Media American Academy of Neurology, "Neurology".
