As many know, there's nothing like good ol' Southern hospitality and comfort food. But could that actually be a good thing?
A new study has found that a traditional Southern diet significantly increases an individual's risk for stroke. In fact, those why routinely ate Southern-style food such as fried chicken and fish, bacon, ham, and even sweet tea were 41 percent more likely to suffer a stroke. The news was even worse for African Americans, who were found to have a 63 percent higher risk.
Those numbers are enormous, but with a sample size of 20,000 people the study speaks for itself. It even controlled for factors like smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise, claiming that people still had a increased risk of 30 percent.
Researchers from the University of Alabama presented their findings Thursday at the International Stroke Conference in Hawaii.
Is there any good news here for lovers of Southern cuisine? Lead study author Suzanne Judd did say that an individual's stroke risk decreases dramatically when a few adjustments are made, such as eating more vegetables and cutting some fried food.
"There are other foods in the Southern-style diet which are good," she said, according to ABC News. "Collard greens, for example. Just having a little more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean protein sources -- chicken without the skin, fish that isn't fried -- gives you an across-the-board 20 percent reduction in stroke risk."
I know what you're thinking. Chicken without skin and fish that isn't fried? Who the heck wants to eat that? But the fact remains that deep-fried, saturated fat-heavy food is pretty horrible for you. No one's saying to stop eating it altogether, but it can only help to have a more well-rounded diet.
"What would I tell my patients? Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy, because those are things people are missing from their diets," said Keith Ayoob, director of nutrition at the Rose F. Kennedy Center. "People are not getting in trouble for what they're eating, they're getting in trouble for what they're not eating."
