Background: Researches of the relationships between dietary whole grains intake and risk of stroke have produced inconsistent results. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the evidence from observed studies regarding the association between whole grain intake and stroke risk.
Methods: Pertinent studies were identified by searching Web of Knowledge and PubMed up to May 2015. Random-effect model was used to combine the relative risk (RR) with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Publication bias was estimated using Egger's regression asymmetry test.
Results: Six prospective studies involving 1635 stroke cases and 247487 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled results suggested that highest category of whole grain intake versus lowest category was significantly associated with reduced the risk of stroke [summary RR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.73-0.99, I2 = 0.0%]. Inverse associations were also found in the America population [summary RR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.67-0.98, I(2) = 0.0%] and subgroup analysis of females [summary RR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.63-0.97, I(2) = 0.0%]. No publication bias was found.
Conclusion: Our analysis indicated that higher whole grain intake has a protective effect on stroke.
Keywords: Whole grain; meta-analysis; stroke.