Possible Link Between Number Of Fast-Food Restaurants In Neighborhood And Stroke Risk

But no cause and effect relationship.

"The risk of stroke increases with the number of fast-food restaurants in a neighborhood, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2009...

'The data show a true association,' said Lewis B. Morgenstern, M.D., lead author of the study and director of the University of Michigan's stroke program and professor of neurology and epidemiology in Ann Arbor. 'What we don't know is whether fast food actually increased the risk because of its contents, or whether fast-food restaurants are a marker of unhealthy neighborhoods.'"

Wanna bet, however, that there is a better association between too many Calories in and stroke risk?

"'We need to start unraveling why these particular communities have higher stroke risks,' Morgenstern said. 'Is it direct consumption of fast food? Is it the lack of more healthy options? Is there something completely different in these neighborhoods that is associated with poor health?'"

In other words, beyond the attention-grabbing headline, they do not know squat.