Original Article
White Rice-Based Food Consumption and Ischemic Stroke Risk: A Case-Control Study in Southern China

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2009.09.003Get rights and content

White rice-based foods, which are high in refined carbohydrates, are widely consumed in China. A case-control study was conducted to investigate the association between white rice-based food consumption and the risk of ischemic stroke in the southern Chinese population. Information on diet and lifestyle was obtained from 374 incident ischemic stroke patients and 464 hospital-based controls. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the effects of rice-based foods on stroke risk. The mean weekly intake of rice foods appeared to be significantly higher in cases than in controls. Increased consumptions of cooked rice, congee, and rice noodle were associated with a higher risk for ischemic stroke after controlling for confounding factors. The corresponding adjusted odds ratios (with 95% confidence intervals) for the highest versus lowest intake level were 2.73 (1.31-5.69), 2.93 (1.68-5.13), and 2.03 (1.40-2.94), with significant dose-response relationships observed. The results provide evidence of a positive association between habitual rice food consumption and the risk of ischemic stroke in Chinese adults.

Section snippets

Subjects

Subjects were recruited between July 2007 and July 2008 from 3 teaching hospitals within Foshan city in the Guangdong Province of southern China: First People's Hospital of Shunde, First People's Hospital of Nanhai, and Second People's Hospital of Foshan. Cases were incident ischemic stroke patients referred from the inpatient wards of the hospital neurology departments. Controls were recruited during the same period from outpatient clinics of the Departments of Gastroenterology, Dermatology,

Results

A total of 500 incident stroke patients and 600 eligible controls were approached initially. Of the 427 cases and 512 controls who signed a consent form and agreed to participate, 374 cases and 464 controls eventually completed the interview, representing a final response rate of 74.8% and 77.3%, respectively. No significant differences in mean age and gender distribution were found between consenting participants and those who refused or withdrew from the study.

Table 1 summarizes

Discussion

This was the first study to investigate the relationship between habitual rice product consumption and risk of ischemic stroke in southern China where rice-based foods are widely consumed. Higher intakes of cooked rice, congee, and rice noodle were found to be associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke independent of other risk factors, with significant dose-response relationships observed. The results are consistent with previous studies on refined carbohydrates conducted in Western

Acknowledgment

We acknowledge the cooperation received from the patients and their families. We also thank the neurologists of the participating hospitals who volunteered their time for the study.

References (28)

  • J. Mackay et al.

    Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke

    (2004)
  • Y. Ma et al.

    Association between carbohydrate intake and serum lipids

    J Am Coll Nutr

    (2006)
  • R. Villegas et al.

    Prospective study of dietary carbohydrates, glycemic index, glycemic load, and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle-aged Chinese women

    Arch Intern Med

    (2007)
  • S. Liu

    Intake of refined carbohydrates and whole-grain foods in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease

    J Am Coll Nutr

    (2002)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text