Vegetarians Have Half the Risk of Stroke, Taiwanese Study Finds

Vegetarians had about half the risk of stroke of non-vegetarians in a study of more than 13,000 people in Taiwan, with a 59% lower risk of ischaemic stroke and a 66% lower risk of haemorrhagic stroke.

Researchers at Tzu Chi University in Hualien, led by Dr. Chin-Lon Lin, followed two groups of Buddhist volunteers until the end of 2014: 5,050 people in the Tzu Chi Health Study and 8,302 in the Tzu Chi Vegetarian Study. In the larger group, vegetarians had a 48% lower risk of overall stroke. In the smaller group, they had a 74% lower risk of ischaemic stroke. The study is published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

In the American Academy of Neurology press release, Dr. Lin said:

Overall, our study found that a vegetarian diet was beneficial and reduced the risk of ischemic stroke even after adjusting for known risk factors like blood pressure, blood glucose levels and fats in the blood.

The vegetarians in the study had lower vitamin B12 levels, which the authors flag as a factor worth watching, so it's a good reminder to keep your B12 topped up.

The result contrasts with last September's Oxford study, which found much lower heart disease but slightly more strokes in British vegetarians. It follows last month's Taiwanese finding that vegetarians have a 16% lower risk of urinary tract infections.

Nuts, veg and soy: a recipe for a healthier brain.