Southern diet and stroke risk

This is not shocking news, but more research is showing that Southern - often fried - foods are stroke risk factors. Check out the article about how Southern diet has tight grip on "stroke belt":

Judd said that people in the top quartile ate Southern foods about six times a week, while those in the lowest quartile ate it about once a month.

"Diet is an overlooked risk factor for stroke," Judd told MedPage Today. "While physicians, of course, know that diet is a risk factor, stroke patients or patients with risk factors for stroke are rarely referred for dietary counseling," she said.

"Yet this is something that patients can easily do to reduce risk," noted Steven M. Greenberg, MD, PhD, chair of the ISC program and chair of neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital Stroke Research Center.

"Patients are always asking what they can do to avoid stroke. Here is something you can tell them," he said in an interview.

As a born Southerner, I understand the diet. There is still a lot of fried and somewhat unhealthy food consumed in Southern states. And I understand the attraction - my personal fave is fried catfish with fried hush puppies. It can't be beat.

That being said, I also don't eat fried catfish every night. If you've read this blog before, you know that I'm a fan of moderation. Fried foods are OK occasionally - just not routine - and not in huge amounts. I seriously doubt I'll ever stop eating my fried catfish.

(Photo by Ryan Somma [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons)