Dietary Patterns Are Associated With Incident Stroke and Contribute to Excess Risk of Stroke in Black Americans

Background and Purpose—Black Americans and residents of the Southeastern United States are at increased risk of stroke. Diet is one of many potential factors proposed that might explain these racial and regional disparities.

Methods—Between 2003 and 2007, the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort study enrolled 30 239 black and white Americans aged ≥45 years. Dietary patterns were derived using factor analysis and foods from food frequency data. Incident strokes were adjudicated using medical records by a team of physicians. Cox-proportional hazards models were used to examine risk of stroke. Read more