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Dryad

Data from: Vegetarian diet and incidence of total, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in two cohorts in Taiwan

Cite this dataset

Chiu, Tina H. T. et al. (2020). Data from: Vegetarian diet and incidence of total, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in two cohorts in Taiwan [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x95x69pcz

Abstract

Objectives To determine how a vegetarian diet affects stroke incidence in two prospective cohorts, and to explore whether the association is modified by dietary vitamin B12 intakes.

MethodsParticipants without stroke in the Tzu Chi Health study (Cohort1, n=5,050, recruited in 2007-2009) and the Tzu Chi Vegetarian Study (Cohort2, n=8,302, recruited in 2005) were followed until end of 2014. Diet was assessed through food frequency questionnaires in both cohorts at baseline. Stroke events and baseline comorbidities were identified through the National Health Insurance Database. A subgroup of 1528 participants in Cohort1 were assessed for serum homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folate. Associations between vegetarian diet and stroke incidences were estimated by Cox regression with age as time scale, adjusted for sex, education, smoking, alcohol, physical activities, BMI (only in Cohort1), hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and ischemic heart diseases.

Results Vegetarians had lower serum vitamin B12 and higher folate and homocysteine than nonvegetarians. In Cohort1, 54 events occurred in 30,797 person-years follow-up. Vegetarians (vs. nonvegetarians) experienced lower risk of ischemic stroke (HR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.08-0.88). In Cohort2, 121 events occurred in 76,797 person-years follow-up. Vegetarians (vs. nonvegetarians) experienced lower risk of overall stroke (HR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.33-0.82), ischemic stroke (HR: 0.41, 0.19-0.88), and hemorrhagic stroke (HR: 034, 95%CI: 0.12-1.00). Our explorative analysis showed that vitamin B12 intake may modify the association between vegetarian diet and overall stroke (p-interaction = 0.046).

Conclusion –Taiwanese vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes.