Turning the conventional medical wisdom on its head, a study found that a diet extremely low in saturated fat may raise the risk of a rare type of stroke in some women. But researchers cautioned that the study does not mean people should stop trying to reduce the amount of saturated fat in their diets. We still want people to eat a low saturated fat diet. The researchers analyzed data from the long-running Nurses' Health Study that began in 1980 with 85,764 women. Most strokes are ischemic strokes, which result from the blockage of an artery carrying blood to the brain.
Hemorrhagic strokes occur when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or bursts.
Intraparenchymal hemorrhage is one of the rarer forms of hemorrhagic stroke. The increased stroke risk in the low-fat group occurred primarily among women with high blood pressure. Stampfer said the extremely low fat intake, combined with high blood pressure, may contribute to a structural weakness in blood vessels that causes them to rupture. He said the findings probably apply to men, too. A 4-ounce serving of skinless chicken has 1 gram.