( CNN ) -- A person 's risk of stroke is associated with the number of fast-food restaurants near their residence , according to a study presented Thursday at a stroke conference in San Diego , California . Fast-food restaurants may be associated with stroke risk , a new study says . Some say there 's not enough evidence . Researchers led by Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor counted 1,247 strokes caused by blood clots in 64 census tracts in Nueces County , Texas , which includes Corpus Christi , from January 2000 through June 2003 . They also mapped the county 's 262 fast-food restaurants and then adjusted for socioeconomic status and demographics and found a statistically significant association . `` The association suggested that the risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased by 1 percent for every fast-food restaurant , '' the authors wrote in a poster presented at the American Stroke Association 's International Stroke Conference . Residents of neighborhoods in the 75th percentile of fast-food restaurants had a 6 percent increased risk of stroke compared with residents of the 25th percentile of such eateries , according to the study , which was paid for by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke . Morgenstern , director of the University of Michigan 's stroke program and professor of neurology and epidemiology , warned that the finding does not prove that proximity to fast-food restaurants caused the increase in strokes of people living nearby . Watch more on the link between fast food restaurants and stroke » . `` What we do n'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 , '' he said . Still , he added , `` If this association is causal , the findings have large public health importance due to the high prevalence of fast-food restaurants . '' A spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association lambasted that concern as unsupported by the data . `` This article is seriously flawed and by its own admission shows no correlation whatsoever between dining at chain restaurants and incidence of stroke , '' Beth Johnson said . `` Further , it tells us nothing about the eating and exercise habits of the individuals involved . The restaurant industry continues to offer a growing number of healthier offerings , move away from the use of trans fats and provide more nutrition information . `` In fact , the National Restaurant Association strongly supports a national , uniform approach to providing detailed nutrition information in chain restaurants . Constructive and responsive measures like these , and not misleading studies , will help consumers make healthy choices for themselves and their families , '' she added .
Study looked at 1,247 strokes in Nueces County , Texas . Risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased by 1 percent for every fast-food restaurant . Comment: