J. Kaluza from Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW in Warsaw, Poland and colleagues conducted the case-control study and found men with a normal BMI in the highest qintile of heme iron intake were 40 percent more likely to suffer total stroke and 38 percent more likely to experience cerebral infarction, compared with those in the lowest quintile.
Iron intake particularly heme iron found in red meat has been associated with several disease, according to the study report. The current study was meant to examine the association between heme iron and nonheme iron intake and risk of stroke in men.
The study involved in 3097 incident cases of stroke including 2482 cerebral infarctions and 450 intracerebral hemorrhages identified among 38,859 men aged 45 to 79 years who did not have history of stroke, coronary heart disease or cancer at baseline and were followed for 11.7 years.
Overall, men in the highest quintile of heme iron intake were found 16% and 15% more likely to suffer total stroke and cerebral infarction, respectively, compared with those in the lowest quintile of heme iron intake. The incidence rate of total stroke was 72.6 per 10,000 person-years among those in the lowest quintile of heme iron, compared to 84.4 per 10,000 per person-years among those in the highest quintile.
Among men who had a normal body weight or body mass index, (less than 25 kg/m2), those in the highest intake of heme iron were 40% and 38% more likely to suffer total stroke and cerebral infarction, respectively, compared with those in the lowest intake.
Among overweight and obese men, intake of heme iron was not associated with stroke risk. Among men regardless of their weight status, intake of nonheme iron was not associated with risk of total stroke and stroke types.
The researchers concluded "Findings from this prospective study indicate that a high heme iron intake, particularly in normal weight individuals, may increase the risk of stroke."
Because heme iron is found in meat, particularly red meat including (types of read meat) beef, pork, lamb, veal, sheep, duck, and goose, the study suggests that eating red meat can increase risk of stroke. Other studies have already found that consumption of red and processed meat has a direct association with increased risk of stroke.
One of such studies was led by G. C. Chen from Soochow University in Suzhou, China and colleagues and published a study in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Chen et al. meta-analysed data from five large prospective cohort studies and found men and women who had the highest intakes of total meat or red meat or processed meat were all 15% more likely to experience total stroke. The risk of ischemic stroke in those with highest intake of total meat, red meat and processed meat was 15%, 13% and 19% increased, respectively, compared with those who had lowest intakes.
