Science/Health Updates

High-fadiets raise stroke risk in women

A moment on the lips, forever on the hips? A bad figure is hardly the worst of it. Eating a lot of fat, especially the kind that's in cookies and pastries, can significantly raise the risk of stroke for women over 50, a large new study finds. We already know that diets rich in fat, particularly artery-clogging trans fat, are bad for the heart and the waistline.

The new study is the largest to look at stroke risk in women and across all types of fat. It showed a clear trend: Those who ate the most fat had a 44 percent higher risk of the most common type of stroke compared to those who ate the least.

"It's a tremendous increase that is potentially avoidable," said Dr. Emil Matarese, stroke chief at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Penn. "What's bad for the heart is bad for the brain."

Fords to Feature Voice

Later this year, Ford automobiles will let you access the Internet and take your digital life on the road. Safety experts worry, however, that all the distractions could be dangerous.