A massive study of thousands of women, called the Nurses Health Study, showed that eating the typical Western-style diet increased stroke risk by 58 percent, whereas consuming more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fish — the same foods that guard against so many other diseases — lowered that risk by 30 per cent. Here's where to start.
Beans aren't just good for your heart; they're also good for protecting your brain. That's because they're rich in the B vitamin folate (a.k.a. folic acid). According to a 20-year study of nearly 10,000 adults, eating a diet rich in folate lowers the risk of stroke by 20 percent. Here's more intriguing evidence: Researchers who looked at the number of strokes in the United States before and after food manufacturers began fortifying flour with folic acid to prevent birth defects found 10 to 15 percent fewer stroke deaths in the three years after fortification began than in the three years before.