Women who stick to a Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of stroke over the long term, according to a recent study. Researchers followed 105,614 women with an average age of 53 for more than 20 years.

The findings, published in the journal Neurology Open Access, showed that women with the healthiest eating habits were 18% less likely to suffer any type of stroke. Specifically, their risk dropped by 16% for ischemic strokes, which are caused by blood clots, and by 25% for hemorrhagic strokes, which are caused by bleeding in the brain. Sophia S. Wang, the lead author of the study, noted that these results offer further proof that a good diet is vital for preventing strokes.