Low Saturated Fat Intake Associated With Higher Stroke Mortality

Very low intakes of saturated fats may be just as bad for you as very high intakes, and could lead to an increased risk of death from stroke-according to new Japanese research.

The study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that a very low dietary intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA) is associated with an increase risk of stroke.

"SFA intake was inversely associated with mortality from stroke. This inverse association was similarly observed for intraparenchymal hemorrhage and ischemic stroke, " wrote the researchers.

Saturated fat intakes are known to correlate with blood cholesterol levels-a strong risk factor for heart disease. However, the associations between SFA intake and stroke are less clear. Ischemic stroke is considered to be an atherosclerotic disease in Western societies: however research suggests that other pathways, like arteriosclerosis, may also be implicated in ischemic stroke.

In discussing their results, the researchers speculate that saturated fats could have different impacts in larger arteries compared to small vessels-suggesting that although in larger vessels saturated fats can increase the risks of atherosclerotic plaques, but in smaller vessels low SFA levels could lead to angionecrosis through a reduction of smooth muscles cells and increased fragility of vascular walls.