Dairy Consumption and Risk of Stroke: a Case-control Study

It remains controversial if dairy product intake is associated with risk of stroke. Previous studies on this issue came from Western populations and developed countries، and no information is available from the understudied region in the Middle East. This case-control study was conducted to assess the relationship between dairy consumption and risk of stroke in an Iranian adult population. In this study، 195 stroke patients (recognized based on clinical findings and computed tomography scan) hospitalized in neurology ward of Alzahra University Hospital were enrolled. Sex- and age-matched controls (n=195) were selected with convenience non-random sampling procedure from other wards of the hospital. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess participants'' usual dietary intakes. Data on usual physical activity patterns، smoking and socioeconomic status and demographic features were collected using of questionnaires. Patients with stroke were older، had lower weight and BMI and were more likely to be male and physically active and less likely to be obese. After adjustment for age، sex and total energy intake، individual with the highest consumption of low-fat dairy had 42% lower chance of having stroke (OR: 0. 58; 95% CI: 0. 34-0. 99) while those with the highest intake of high-fat dairy had 128% greater chance of it (OR: 2. 28; 95% CI: 1. 29-4. 00). Further adjustment for physical activity and smoking made the association of low-fat dairy intake with stroke marginally significant (P=0. 07) but just slightly attenuated the association of high-fat dairy consumption and risk of stroke (2. 19; 1. 24-3. 88). The association between high-fat dairy consumption and stroke even persisted after additional adjustments for dietary variables (OR for top vs. bottom tertile: 2. 02; 95% CI: 1. 02-4. 02). We found evidence indicating a significant positive association between high-fat dairy consumption and risk of stroke. Further prospective studies are required to confirm this finding