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Dietary patterns and risk of ischemic stroke: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Jingya Guo1, Zhi Xi2, Ming Wang2
1Department of Neurology, Zhengzhou University Affiliated Zhengzhou Central Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Medicine
|November 5, 2025
Summary
Specific diets like oily fish, cheese, and red wine may lower ischemic stroke risk. High-sugar and high-protein diets might increase risk, warranting further investigation for stroke prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Cardiovascular Genetics
- Public Health Nutrition
Background:
- Diet and nutrition significantly impact ischemic stroke (IS) development and outcomes.
- Observational studies on diet and IS risk often present inconsistent findings due to confounding factors and measurement errors.
- Mendelian randomization (MR) offers a robust approach to infer causal relationships in diet-IS research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal associations between 22 dietary factors and the risk of ischemic stroke (IS).
- To leverage genetic data for strengthening causal inference in the relationship between diet and IS.
- To identify specific dietary components that may influence IS risk.
Main Methods:
- A 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed.
- Genetic instruments for dietary exposures were sourced from the UK Biobank genome-wide association study.
- Outcome data for ischemic stroke risk were obtained from the MEGASTROKE consortium, utilizing inverse-variance weighted analysis as the primary method with sensitivity analyses.
Main Results:
- Consumption of oily fish, cheese, dried fruit, weekly red wine, and calcium supplements were significantly associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke.
- Suggestive associations were observed for high-sugar and high-protein dietary patterns with increased IS risk, though these did not withstand multiple-comparison correction.
- The study identified specific dietary factors with a potential protective effect against IS.
Conclusions:
- This Mendelian randomization study provides evidence supporting a reduced risk of ischemic stroke associated with the consumption of oily fish, cheese, dried fruit, red wine, and calcium supplements.
- Dietary patterns high in sugar or protein may be associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke.
- Findings emphasize the role of dietary management in stroke prevention and highlight areas for future research.
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