By Jimmy Downs

Friday Sept 13, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Eating citric fruits may help reduce risk of ischemic stroke, according to a new study recently published in the journal Stroke.  It is a possibility only because the study was not a trial and a causal relationship between the two had not been proved.

Aedín Cassidy, PhD of Department of Nutrition, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK and colleagues conducted the study and found men and women in the highest quintile of citric fruit/juice consumption were 10 percent less likely to suffer ischemic stroke.

Ischemic stroke  is death of part of brain tissue (cerebral infarction) due to an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen to the brain caused by blockage of any artery.

The current study was intended to examine the association between intake of flavonoids and risk of ischemic, hemorrhagic and total stroke.

For the study. the researchers analysed data from 69 622 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study. Total flavonoid and subclass intakes were estimated through semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires collected every 4 years.

During 14-year follow-up, 1,803 incident strokes were identified.   After adjustment for potential confounders or risk factors, women in the highest quintile of flavanone intake were 19 percent less likely to experience ischemic stroke, compared with those in the lowest quintile.

Flavanones are found high in citrus fruits/juices, which were associated with reduced risk for ischemic stroke in the study.  Although the current study was not a trial and a causal relationship between flavanones and risk of ischemic storke had not been established, previous laboratory studies established the association suggesting that citric fruits are potentially protective against cardiovascular disease.