Dietary Protein and Stroke Consortium

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, for which diet is an important modifiable risk factor. Previous research from EPIC-Oxford has found that vegetarians, who do not eat meat or fish, had a higher risk of stroke than omnivores which was largely driven by a higher risk of haemorrhagic stroke; our research from EPIC-Europe also found that particular dietary factors, including types of animal-sourced foods, may be associated with stroke subtypes differently. Variation in the quantity or quality of dietary protein has also been linked to stroke risk in some previous studies, but the strength and direction of the associations has been inconsistent. 

To date, there is limited large scale epidemiological evidence quantifying the relationships of dietary protein, protein from different sources, and protein rich foods with risk of different subtypes of stroke. Data on haemorrhagic stroke subtypes is particular are scarce. The Dietary Protein and Stroke Consortium will combine data from four large prospective cohorts (EPIC, the Million Women Study, UK Biobank, China Kadoorie Biobank) with a total of 2 million participants, to investigate the associations of dietary protein with risk of stroke subtypes and assess possible underlying mechanisms. The first analyses across the four cohorts will examine, in a standardised approach, the associations of protein-rich foods and protein intakes with the risk for stroke; the mechanistic analyses will then investigate amino acids, physiological and biochemical risk markers, and genetic factors. 

The consortium is led by Dr Tammy Tong, and was established in 2020.