Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Vitamin D?
Channel: NutritionFacts.org
Date: 2020-08-10

Could the apparent increased stroke risk in vegetarians be reverse causation? What about vegetarians versus vegans, and does vitamin D deficiency play a role?

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So far in this series we’ve looked at what to eat (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-to-eat-for-stroke-prevention) and not eat (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-not-to-eat-for-stroke-prevention) for stroke prevention, and whether vegetarians really do have a higher stroke risk (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vegetarians-really-have-higher-stroke-risk). 

It may be worth reiterating that vegetarians don’t have a higher risk of dying from a stroke but do appear to be at higher risk of having a stroke. How is that possible? Meat is a risk factor for stroke, so how could cutting out meat lead to more strokes? There must be something about eating plant-based that so increases our stroke risk it counterbalances the meat-free benefit. Might it be because we don’t eat fish? We turn to omega 3’s next:
• Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Omega 3s? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-and-stroke-risk-factors-omega-3s)
• Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Vegan Junk Food? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-and-stroke-risk-factors-vegan-junk-food)
• Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Saturated Fat? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-and-stroke-risk-factors-saturated-fat)
• Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Animal Protein? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-and-stroke-risk-factors-animal-protein)
• Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Vitamin B12 & Homocysteine? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-and-stroke-risk-factors-vitamin-b12-and-homocysteine)

If you want to just get to the conclusion, these videos are all available on a digital download at https://drgreger.org/collections/downloads/products/vegetarian-stroke-risk-digital.

There certainly are benefits to vitamin D, though.  Here is a sampling of videos where I explore the evidence:
• Will You Live Longer if You Take Vitamin D Supplements? (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/will-you-live-longer-if-you-take-vitamin-D-supplements)
• Do Vitamin D Supplements Help with Diabetes, Weight Loss, and Blood Pressure (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-vit-d-supplements-help-diabetes-weight-loss-blood-pressure/)
• How Much Vitamin D Should You Take? (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-vitamin-D-should-you-take)
• The Optimal Dose of Vitamin D Based on Natural Levels (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-optimal-dose-of-vitamin-D-based-on-natural-levels)
• The Best Way to Get Vitamin D: Sun, Supplements, or Salons? (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-way-to-get-vitamin-D-sun-supplements-or-salons)
• The Risks and Benefits of Sensible Sun Exposure (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-risks-and-benefits-of-sensible-sun-exposure)
• Should Vitamin D Supplements Be Taken to Prevent Falls in the Elderly? (https://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-vitamin-d-supplements-be-taken-to-prevent-falls/)

Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-and-stroke-risk-factors-vitamin-d and someone on the NutritionFacts.org team will try to answer it.


Want to get a list of links to all the scientific sources used in this video? Click on Sources Cited at https://nutritionfacts.org/video/vegetarians-and-stroke-risk-factors-vitamin-d. You’ll also find a transcript and acknowledgements for the video, my blog and speaking tour schedule, and an easy way to search (by translated language even) through our videos spanning more than 2,000 health topics. 

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Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

Captions for this video are available in several languages; you can find yours in the video settings. View important information about our translated resources: https://nutritionfacts.org/translations-info/

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