A diet with a preponderance of protein, especially lean protein from sources like fish, can apparently reduce the risk of stroke, an analysis of data by Chinese researchers suggests.
People consuming diets that contained the highest levels of animal-derived protein were found to be 20 percent less likely to have a stroke, compared with people whose diets contained little or no protein, says study leader Xinfeng Liu of Nanjing University in China.
The finding came out of an analysis of all available studies on links between diet protein the stroke risk, the researchers said, including seven studies of almost a quarter million participants who were monitored for more than 10 years.
Every extra 20 grams of protein consumed daily by people lowered their risk of having a stroke by 26 percent, the researchers found.
"If everyone's protein intake were at this level, that would translate to more than 1.4 million fewer deaths from stroke each year worldwide, plus a decreased level of disability from stroke," Liu said in a release from the American Academy of Neurology.
The type of protein made a difference, the analysis found, with animal protein delivering twice the risk reduction as protein from vegetables and similar sources.
Some experts urged caution in putting too much emphasis on the study result, noting that many animal proteins are accompanied by saturated fats at level that could increase stroke risk.
"I don't think this study means to the public you should run out and start eating burgers and red meat," said Dr. Ralph Sacco, neurology chair at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. "Focusing on lean protein consumption and/or even vegetable protein is important."
Liu acknowledges two of the seven analyzed studies took place in Sweden and Japan, countries whose citizens traditionally consume more fish than they do red meat.
Previously studies have linked fish to reduced risk of stroke while finding just the opposite, an increased risk, with the consumption of red meat.
"These results indicate that stroke risk may be reduced by replacing red meat with other protein sources, such as fish," Liu said.
Exactly how some proteins can reduce stroke risk is unknown, the researchers said, although some forms of the nutrient appear to protect against known risk factors including diabetes, high blood pressure or arteriosclerosis, the hardening of the body's arteries.
Liu cautioned that additional, more extensive studies would be needed before any definitive recommendation regarding protein in diets could be make.
Still, he said, "the evidence is compelling."
